Angelic Wings and a Demon Heart
by Sno Italever
Summary: Set directly after the end of Dirge of Cerberus. After an oddly failed suicide attempt, Rufus Shinra is thrown into a world of Demons and Monsters. He soon finds out that death is not the only thing he can stop. Semi-A/U- You know the drill.
1. Prologue: Beginning of the End

Angelic Wings and a Demon Heart

Sno Italever

Prologue

There was something about the whispering wind tonight. He stood there, wind blowing his blonde hair lightly, standing at the top of the Shinra building. His building….his Empire…his _ruined _empire. Something about the word _ruined_ made him smile. Maybe it was because destruction usually is in the same sentence as it. He laughed, brushing off his white suit.

It was night, mid-night to be exact, and not a soul (_living at least_) was within his eyesight. He leaned his back against a failing wall, looking out across the once prosperous Midgar.

"Like it ever was truly prosperous…" Rufus muttered. The wind picked up, as though the dead of Midgar were disagreeing. He looked around, eyes falling on the remains of Sector Seven. If he was going to end it all, he might as well get it off his chest.

"Look!" he yelled to the restless of the fallen slums, "It wasn't my idea! I was trying to help you! It was all Hojo and the others! I was….I was the one who warned you all!" The wind blew harder, and Rufus leaned back into the wall to stabilize himself. He was going to commit suicide, but the wind wasn't going to be the assistant. He laughed.

"FINE! Don't believe me!" He turned his back to the winds, leaning his head against the wall. He couldn't help but smile, a type of denial of what he was really doing up here. The world believed that he, human and all, was just a monster. A monster, eh? Is that what you all think? Did _Cloud _tell you that idea? He didn't care. He turned back around and looked over the edge.

"74 stories to the ground; that should be a quick death. Heck, they might not even be able to recognize me at the bottom. I could see it now. 'Unknown being jumps from top of old Shinra building. Turned to pile of gore at the bottom, more news at six!'" He laughed harder as he stepped to the edge. He had told father, the former president, that he would both outlive him and die laughing. He would accomplish both.

"Off the Edge of Despair, into a painless, happy afterlife," he laughed, looking past the ruins of the city, at Cloud's new bar. He turned only lightly, yelling at the top of his lungs as he jumped from the ledge.

"I guess you're right, Cloud. I am a monster!" He closed his eyes, and felt gravity kick in and hit the ground. There was pain, but then it faded. He opened his eyes, feeling the ground with his hand. _I'm not dead…_ He tried to sit up, but the pain intensified. He moved his hand across his body, and flexed his limbs. Nothing was broken. _I didn't die… _He pulled himself to a sitting position, leaning his back against a piece of rubble. There was shouting in the distance. Sounded like the Turks had caught wind of his suicide. Suicide _attempt._

"I…I didn't die…I'm not dead. How?" He looked up, finding the ledge that he had jumped from. "It was 74 stories!" He hugged himself, just now realizing that he was shaking. It was purely shock; he wasn't scared at all. He brought his knees to his chin, hiding his head.

"I guess Cloud was…really right…."

_I didn't die…I am a monster._

* * *

_Oki, so I am re-doing most of this story. Hopefully I will have it all redone by the end of this month. Any suggestions/criticisms are welcome_


	2. Chapter One: All in Your Head

Chapter One: All in Your Head

"HEY SHI! WAKE UP!" Reno's voice echoed in his eardrums. This could only mean that he was three inches from his ear. He opened his eyes groggily, wincing in pain as he sat up. He looked around; he was in his room at Tseng's house, wearing one of his pair of nightwear. _WHAT?_

"Morning sleeping beauty!" Reno said, pulling his sore form out of bed. "Time to get up!" Rufus was too confused to speak.

"RENO!" came Elena's voice from the stairs, "I TOLD YOU! IF RUFUS DIDN'T WANT TO GET UP, HE WAS TO SLEEP!" Reno covered Rufus's ears and yelled back.

"HE WAS ALREADY UP!" Rufus batted Reno's hands from his ears and stumbled forward. _How did I get here?_

"Reno," he said, turning and facing the redhead.

"What?" he mused, smiling. He studied Rufus's face. "Bad dream?"

"Dream? No, it...it was real!" Rufus stammered.

"So you had a bad dream, kay. Let's go get some grub." Reno began to walk toward his bedroom door, but Rufus blocked the way.

"Reno. I jumped off the Shinra building. I lived through it!" Rufus said.

"Yeah, I did too! You just jumped from the first floor stair case to the bottom. Hurt your feet, but nothing else," Reno said.

"NO!" Rufus insisted, "I jumped from the _top_, Reno! The _top_."

"Yeah, and I'm Aerith's brother, I married Elena this morning, and Tseng and I are gay lovers, let's go eat!" Reno pushed around Rufus and walked down the stairs. "By the way! Don't jump from _these_ stairs to the ground," Reno smirked, motioning to the stairs outside the room, "ya might break your leg!" Rufus couldn't tell if Reno was being serious or if it was just a part of his drunken stupor. Rufus sat down on the floor, patting the ground for Dark Nation, his panther, to come sit by him.

"What's wrong with me, girl?" he asked, petting her head. His childhood companion simply rubbed her head against his chest, as though to say "it'll be alright." He patted her head once more and stood up.  
"Let's go get some food, girl," he patted his leg, calling her to follow. He shook his head, walking down the stairs. "Maybe it was just a dream."

"Hey Shi!" Elena said, pulling over a spare chair to the table. "Didn't know you'd be joining us." She glared at Reno, who had already helped himself to some waffles. "Did a certain someone wake you?" Rufus only smiled.

"I was already up," he said numbly. "Did you make this?" He pointed to the breakfast foods scattered about the table.

"Yeah, Tseng and I wanted to make something nicer that cereal today," she said, sitting next to her fiancé.

"It looks great," Rufus said, nodding to Tseng as he sat.

"Looks great, probably tastes like shit!" Reno laughed. _Yup, drunken stupor. _

"Thank you, Reno, but I do not need your opinion on the food," Rufus said, coolly. _Like normal…like nothing ever happened._

"Whatever, Jumpy. Hey? Where's Baldy? RUDE!" Reno yelled, leaning back in his chair.

"Right here." Rude walked into the room, carrying a bowl of fruit. "You're in my chair." He grabbed the back of Reno's chair and spun it, knocking Reno to the floor.

"HEY! Move your feet, lose your seat!" Reno said.

"And you moved your feet, thank you for obliging, Reno." Rude sat down, passing the bowl to Tseng. "You can eat with Dark Nation."

"HELL NO! I ain't eating with the Queen of Demons!" Dark Nation let out an exited-sounding growl, as though she liked what Reno had called her.

"Then pull up a chair," Tseng said, take an apple from the bowl. Grumbling about being cheated, Reno left to fetch a chair.

"How was your sleep, Mr. Shinra?" Tseng asked, passing Elena the bowl.

"It was…" Rufus paused, looking down at his empty plate.

"Was….what?" Rude asked, looking at him. _Rude's talking more than usual, _he thought. He could feel their stares boring into his skin.

"Hard to say," Rufus said, not looking at any of them. He stood up, petting Dark Nation, motioning for her to follow. "I need some fresh air." He walked away from them, to the front door, passing Reno, who was struggling in his drunkenness to pick up a chair.

"But Shi!" Elena started, but was cut off by the front door closing. "Your…still in your night wear…" She looked at Tseng.

"Something's wrong," he said, standing. Elena slammed her fists against the table.

"DAMMIT RENO!"

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

* * *

The air was cool; a morning breeze blew through the trees around the house. Rufus rested his back against the side of the house.

"I must be going insane. No one saw me fall; no one was there; it was just a dream, all in my head," he muttered. He rested his forehead in his palm. "Damn, I'm beginning to sound like Cloud…"

"How so? I don't think you sound like me," said a voice. Dark Nation growled, causing Rufus to look up. Sure enough, there was Cloud, motorcycle and all.

"Call of the demon kitten," he said, crassly.

"Tell me why you're here and I'll think about it," Rufus shot back in his calm manor.

"I'm delivering something. I'm a _delivery boy_, remember?"

"Oh really? You're _not _an ex-soldier anymore?" Cloud started to say something, but was cut off by the sound of glass breaking….and Reno being thrown out the second story window.

"GOD! I THOUGHT THAT WAS MY ROOM!" Reno said, staggering around. He went back to the front door and tried to open it, only to find it was locked.

"Good job, Shinra. You locked yourself out of the house," Cloud mused.

"No I didn't, Reno did. And, _dear _Cloud, I have a key," Rufus said, smiling. Dark Nation purred and rubbed her head against his leg, watching Reno bang his fist against the door.

"OPEN THE DOOR YOU HEARTLESS BITCH! I CAN'T BELIEVE TSENG LIKES YOU!"

Doing his best to ignore Reno, Cloud pulled out some papers from his carrier bag.

"Since you're out here, take these to Tseng. If you must know, there from Reeve," Cloud said. He paused, then added "since you're a heartless prick who probably goes through other people's mail anyway." Cloud passed the letters to Rufus and turned away, getting back on his bike. He started the bike, ready to leave when he remembered something.

"Hey Shinra! Letter for you," he said, throwing the letter down on the ground. With that, he hit the gas pedal and sped off. Rufus picked up the letter without looking at it and pushed Reno aside, opening the door. He threw the letters on the entryway table and walked up the stairs, toward his room.

"Mister Shinra, would you like any-"started Rude.

"No, thank you. Tell everyone to leave me alone, please," Rufus replied tonelessly. He slammed his door closed and collapsed in his bed, face down. Dark Nation had followed him closely, and now lay at the edge of his bed, rubbing her head against his feet.

"There's something wrong with me, girl, "he said, "something really wrong. I died last night. I had to have." He rolled over, looking at the ceiling. "What's wrong with me? If it did happen, some had to have seen me, right?" Dark Nation hopped off the bed and opened the bedroom door with her tail, then ran downstairs, only to reappear a few seconds later with the letter Cloud had thrown on the ground in her mouth. She set it on the floor by his hand and hopped back onto the bed. Rufus picked up the letter and examined it.

_Rufus Shinra, _read the handwriting on the front, _Read this when your alone. _ He looked at the writing.

"I've never seen this handwriting before, girl," he said. He opened the envelope, and carefully removed the small piece of paper inside. Before he even began to read it, he noticed something. The letter was written in blood.

"What the…."

_Shinra, please meet me at the location stated below in one week. It is extremely important that you bring nobody along, but Dark Nation can come if she so chooses to. I do want to say that the meeting will be about a certain something that happened last night, about the midnight hour. It would be in your best interest to come, for I may be able to explain what is going on. It will be a full moon next week, and that's the only time I have full control. If you do not come then, you and I both will have to wait a lunar month for my explanation._

_Old Shinra Manor, Basement, old library, near the coffin room._

_Midnight sharp, wait for the clock to ring thrice._

_I'll be awaiting the confrontation, my friend. And please, in the weeks' time, stay away from high places, like, oh say…the Shinra building?_

_Sincerely,_

_A name to be revealed later in time_

Rufus looked at the letter in shear confusion, but then he calmed. He wasn't insane. Someone _had seen_ jump. There was proof on the letter.

"Hey Shi?" came a voice at his door. He looked to see Elena leaning against the door. "Sorry I didn't knock…but I didn't know if you were sleeping or not."

"I thought I told Rude to-"

"Tell everyone to leave you alone, yeah."

"Then get out," Rufus said heartlessly, returning to the letter.

"But I wanted to make sure you were okay. I mean, you were sick all of last week, and for all we know, you could still be very sick and all," she said, walking forward. Rufus looked up again, thinking for a moment.

"Ignore my last statement. I don't mind you walking in right now. I need you to do some blood tests on this letter," he said, copying it down quickly on a scrap piece of paper. "But don't read it," he added quickly. He knew she'd probably do it anyway. Turks always did. He passed her the letter.

"Sure thing, boss." She took the letter, giving it a quick once over. "Not like I could, it's written in some weird language anyway. Wutianese? Oh well." Rufus paused.

"Weird language?"

"Yeah, can you read this stuff?" He looked at the paper as she showed it to him. It was written in an elder language, and he couldn't read it anymore.

"Elena?" Rufus asked, pulling a white suit from his closet.

"Yep?"

"Could you have that test to me before next week?"

"Sure, and I'll summon the meteor while I'm at it. These things take about a month to process and…"

"Elena? Please?"

"Oh Gods, I'll see what I can do," she said, defeated. She started for the door. "I have to save your ass, recover Jenova's head, and now I have to do a blood tes- HOLY SHIT! THIS IS WRITTIN IN BLOOD!" She screamed, throwing the letter to the floor.

"That's why I need the blood test," Rufus said calmly. Elena picked it up with two fingers, trying not to hurl.

"You got to be kidding me," she said, walking quickly out the door. "Who the hell would write in their own blood? Disgusting!" He watched her leave, her rant echoing down the hall.

He dressed himself quickly, combing his hair with his hand. The letter was written in an older language, unreadable…yet he had read it. Its translation sat on his bed side table. _When did I write that translation? _he thought to himself. _Must have done it subconsciously. _

"How could I have read that?" he asked himself. "How did the sender write that, unless that's their native language? More importantly, what does the sender know that I of all people don't?" _I know everything._

"There is a lot you don't know, my beloved master," said a chilling voice from behind him. He turned around quickly, looking for the voice, only to see that his childhood companion was its holder. He looked in awe at his panther, unable to speak.

"I am sorry that I haven't told you this sooner, but when you were younger, you wouldn't have been able to understand," Dark Nation said. "I still question if you ever will."

"You…can…you're a…demon," Rufus said quietly. "Just like Vincent's."

"Yes, that is correct. I am a _Degra_. But I cannot tell you much now, know this. I can only tell you that I am your guardian, sent by a more powerful one to protect you. This is not my true form, but it is close to it. Know that. And forgive me…" She flicked her tail slightly, and he felt his body falling to the floor, heavy as lead. He heard his panthers' voice in what sounded like that distance but he knew she was right there.

"Do have an easy rest, my beloved master…and this is not all in your head…

All of what has happened now and a night past…is real. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

* * *

_Click…click…click…_

"_Don't open your eyes!"_

_Click…click…_

"_Please…don't open your eyes…" _

_Click…_

"_Not yet, just wait, Rufus…" _

_BANG! BANG!_

"_Not…ever…ne…ver…open…y-your…true…eyes…unless…"_

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

"_Ne-ver…unless…you…"_

_BANG!_

"_Must…"_

* * *

A young man watched the moon with his crimson eyes, waiting. He sat alone on a decaying house of the old North Coral, with was being occupied currently by prisoners and convicts. He glanced at two inmates who were fighting over something small. _Probably some sort of human food, _he thought. He pulled his sand-beaten, torn, beige cloak closer to his shoulders, pulling the weather beaten hood over his deep-dark red hair and leapt from the roof, landing soundlessly on the sand/dirt mixture below. He walked slowly to the fighting men, observing them. When he was within arm's length of one, he reached out his hand and tapped his shoulder. The inmate flipped around to see whom it was, throwing a punch. The man prepared to dodge this, but noticed that the inmates hand had simply slipped through his form. The man smiled.

"You can't see me, touch me, but can you _hear_ me?" the man said rather loudly in such a secluded, empty place. The inmate he had nudged had returned to his fight with the other, and completely ignored him. "Guess that's a 'no.'" The man fazed through the two fighting inmates, snickering as they both stopped and began to shiver. The man agilely jumped to another roof, this one higher than the first. He put a hand to his forehead, creating a visor, as to block out the moons rays. "What did I expect?" he asked in mock question, "I am a _Degra_ after all." He scanned the wastelands as far as most humans, and some lesser Degra could see, not wanting to risk being exposed to other…"threats" before he found the main prize. He wanted to be the first to glimpse the new power, his _new_ master, or soon to be, before his siblings and the Degra Lord. He knew he might have a chance at finding _it _before the Degra Lord, for he…was tied up with a human man, or not so human now, and his _heart_, so to speak. His siblings on the other hand…maybe not. But he didn't have time for this.

"Where are you, my master to be?" he sang, scanning harder. "Where are you hiding?" He looked up at the moon once more, laughing. The search had begun once more, just as it did two thousand years before. The hunt for the _Agalect Degran._

* * *

_A/N So, like? Bad? Vomiting in a corner? Do tell! Still trying to make it better. Anything will help!_


	3. Chapter Two: What is Reality?

Meant to do this earlier...lol...

I _do not own Square Enix or the amazing, awesometastical characters they have. I am insane, and therefore own the crap posted below. Love it!_

Chapter Two: Explain to Me: "What is Reality?"

* * *

_The world was dark. He stood on ground this time, looking out into a misty forest. The Sleeping Woods? Couldn't be. The wind was calm; everything stood still. Was this reality? Or was he just dreaming? Rufus shook his head. Thunder rumbled in the distance; it was going to rain. _

"_Where am I?" Rufus asked, looking into the darkening sky. Everything seemed to stand still, unmoving…non-living. "Hello?" No reply. He took a step forward, and the world began to move. The first thing to move was a shadow behind him, a black motorcycle._

* * *

Cloud sped through the old forest, the trees blurring around him. Tifa was going to kill him, he forgot it was her birthday…and decided to work overtime. He also…forgot a gift. He glanced at his watch, then at the speedometer. If Tifa didn't kill him, Berret would. He pulled on the gas harder, feeling the motorcycle lurch forward with newfound speed.

"Sorry, Tifa…" he muttered. He looked ahead, unconscious to the man in white standing directly in his path.

* * *

_Rufus heard the motorcycle before he saw it, but due to him being wrapped in thought, he didn't notice the cycle until he and the bike were within a few feet of each other, and there was nothing Rufus could do to protect himself but throw up his arms to hide his face. He thought it was all over, but the motorcycle….passed right through him. Rufus looked around, then at the motorcycle speeding away from him. _

"_What…just happened?" he asked, tracing the cycle as it faded into the mist. He laughed, shaking his head once more. "That's it, I'm dreaming." He turned to walk away, searching for a way to wake up from the stupidity of his dreams, when a scream of pain and shock stopped him. He flipped around and ran toward where the scream had came from; the direction of which the motorcycle had gone._

_ It began to rain._

* * *

Cloud had tried to steer out of the way of the Black Widow and two Deep Ground Soldiers, but the Widow's cannons took out the front wheel of his bike before he could even begin to evade. His bike flipped upward, throwing him to the ground, only narrowly avoiding his bike as it fell from the air. The shot, however, had hit his right leg along with wheel, and everything from his kneecap down was now a pile of burning flesh and molten bone, mixed with a pool of blood. He screamed in shear pain, grabbing the stump with his hands. He heard a gunshot and felt his left hand go numb. He quickly grabbed a fire materia he had stashed in his pocket and fired it randomly, eyes clouded with blood and blackness. He was getting close to blackout. He pushed himself to his knees, groping around franticly. One of his swords had fallen from its storage unit and lay on the ground a few inches from his dead leg. He grabbed it and slashed randomly. He connected with a skull, shattering it. Bits of brains, flesh, hair, and helmet littered the ground as the Soldier fell slowly to the ground. He sent another fire ball into the direction he thought the Widow was, clutching his sword as a crutch. There was a howl from behind him, and then he was on his back, face to face with a Beast Soldier. He kicked it into the air with his left leg, slicing it in half as it fell back down. Before it hit the ground, the Widow fired at it, in hopes that the flaming remains would make contact with Cloud. Fortunately for Cloud, the Widow's fire turned the two halves of the Beast into pink mist, raining back down on Clouds face. The other Soldier retreated backward, drawing the Widow back with it for protection. A howl in the distance informed all living souls that more Beast Soldiers were coming.

Cloud took the moment of retreat to rest, the pain of his left hand and right leg shooting through his body. He lay back on the ground, groping for his cell phone. He dialed a number, hoping for someone to answer.

"Ti…fa?" he asked into the phone, voice racked with pain.

"_Hello, you've reached Seventh Heaven," _came Tifa's recorded voice on the other end, "_I'm sorry we couldn't come to the phone right now, but please leave a message after the beep…BEEP." _

"Ti…fa…I'm sorry….that I'm late….I lov-" he tired to make out the last words, but just then, the Soldier from earlier had spotted his remains and fired two shots into his only working arm. The phone fell with a clatter to the ground, shattered by another Beast Soldier. Re-enforcements had arrived.

The Beast Soldier leapt upon Cloud's chest, pressing his arms down to the ground. It was hopeless to struggle; he was going to die. The Beast bit hard into his neck, and the world faded white.

* * *

"Tifa, the phones ringing…or was ringing," Denzel said, returning from the bathroom. Tifa looked up from her card game with Berret.

"It was?" she asked, dragging some of her brown hair behind her ear.

"Ya betta hope they left a message, eh Tif?" laughed Berret. She smiled at him, standing.

"Thanks, Denzel. Want to join us?" she motioned to the game. She walked over to the answering machine on the counter.

"Sure," Denzel said, taking a seat. She pressed play.

"_You have one new message, sent today," _said the machine, _"Ti…fa…I'm sorry…that I'm late…I lov-"_ shots broke the rest of the message.

"CLOUD!" she screamed, shaking. Berret had stood up, as shocked as she was.

"'ll be fine, Tif. 'his is normal, kay? He'll be awright." Denzel looked at his foster mother and Berret, then a small pendent that he had pulled from his pocket; Cloud's Soldier Pendent.

"Cloud…"

* * *

_Gunshots echoes in the darkness. Rufus slipped and slid this way and that in the mud; the rain fell like buckets. He stopped panting, hiding himself behind a tree. Robotic voices echoed behind him. He peeked out slowly from behind the tree, looking to match face to voice. To his horror and surprise, it belonged to two Deep Ground Soldiers._

"_I thought they were all killed off by the WRO and AVALACHE," he muttered quietly._

"_Report in," said one. _

"_Two dead, one Beast, and the second in command, sir!" reported the other. There were other soldiers there, and one Black Widow._

"_And what's that?" asked the first, pointing to a bloody mass on the ground. Rufus studied the mass closely. He gasped silently, holding the tree to keep him from throwing up. There, in a pile of partially eaten and mangled entrails lay the remains of…_

"_Cloud Strife, sir." Rufus's nails began to sink into the tree's surface. He had never felt this much rage. But why? We hate each other! Why do I care…that he's dead. Rufus thought of the little orphan boy that lived with Cloud. How would that boy feel, when he learned someone he loved was torn to pieces, their own intestines ripped from their body. Just like…_

"_Let's move out," said the first soldier. Rufus's rage spiked. He jumped from behind the tree, blue eyes flashing with anger. _

"_Stop!" he yelled. The two soldiers turned, guns pointed at Rufus, but then they hesitated. Rufus was panting, filled with animosity to the two soldiers. Around his body, a white and black aura had formed, lifting his body slightly off the ground. His body began to shake, and he let out a furious roar. Angelic wings tore out of his back, flapping once for stability. His feet became talons, braking through his shoes. His hands became claws, his fingers extending. His teeth turned to fangs and his blonde hair a stark white. His blue eyes shown brightly in the dark light of the storm, glowing like Mako; black markings covered his face. Along his arms and legs, pale horns and scales sprouted here and there. On his right arm, a black insignia starting from his ring finger and crawling up his arm to his chest now exposed from the sprouting of the wings on his back, and continuing down to his left leg. A white one did the same on this left arm and right leg. _

_In mere shock, the second soldier fired a shot directly at Rufus's heart. The bullet was stopped by the aura and shot back at the soldier, tearing through his neck and spinal cord. The man died slowly, bleeding to death. _

"_Suffer," Rufus said, his voice sounding like a mix of three different men. "Suffer for those you've killed, bastard!" He raised his right hand chest height, and the aura shifted. It followed his hand and tore through the other soldier, obliterating his body to nothing but a hand. The aura returned, then shot forward and destroyed the other's now fleeing. _

"_I said suffer!" Rufus yelled. The aura became a black and white vortex…then….everything was gone. Rufus landed, scanning for survivors. The Black Widow lay in pieces, and with it, the other soldiers. Their entrails and brains lay scattered from their bodies, along with limbs and weapons. They were all dead. Rufus smiled, and turned back to Cloud. He picked up the broken body of his once enemy, and wrapped his wings around both of them. In a flash of lightning, they were gone. _

_The thunder rolled in the distance; the storm had passed._

* * *

Tifa sat on the bar stool, head in her hands. She had tried many times to reach Cloud's phone, but there was no answer. Everyone from AVALANCHE had been assembled in Tifa's bar, discussing what to do.

"We should break into groups and look for him," suggested Reeve. Yuffie nodded.

"Who should go with who?" asked Cid. Vincent stood stoically in the corner, thinking. He had been there ever since he had arrived.

"I will go with Tifa and Berret," said Red XIII. There was a thump on the roof; Vincent looked up.

"That won't be necessary," Vincent said. His voice had altered into a demonic tone; Chaos had taken control.

"Chaos, what's up, bat man?" Berret asked. Everyone stared at Vincent. Vincent pointed to the roof.

"They're here," Chaos said, taking a step toward the door.

"Who? On the roof?" Yuffie asked. Vincent nodded. He was already half way on the roof when everyone caught up to him. When they got there, however, they were all flabbergasted. There, floating a few inches off the ground, was a demon, or angel, it was hard to tell. It had white wings, claws, and talons. It stared back at the group, eye's flashing. And in its arms, lay a sleeping Cloud. The group just stared.

"What tha hell is _that_?"

"Hojo monster?"

"Deepground?"

"He….will be alright," it said, ignoring all the comments. It placed Cloud gently on the roof. A flash of light, it was gone; no trace of it left but a white feather from its wings on Clouds chest. The group immediately split up, looking for the creature that had brought Cloud, but found nothing. Tifa had run to Cloud's side, touching his face calmly. Chaos, unlike the others, made Vincent appear calm. He looked to the sky, staring deeply into space.

"So one does truly survive. There is an Analect Degran still alive…." Chaos looked away from the group, whispering silently as Vincent fought back for control.

"_Right, Master Shinra?"_

* * *

Rufus's eyes opened slowly. He lay in the middle of Tseng's backyard, among the trees.

_How did I…?_

He looked down at his clothing, he wore his white suit, or what was left of it; it had been torn to shreds. He held his hands in his head, looking to the sky, then to Dark Nation, who was at the edge of his feet. He addressed her, and this time actually expected an answer.

"All of that I just saw…or did…what was that?" Dark Nation shook her head, turning away from him.

"Explain to me!" he demanded. She stopped slightly, gracefully turning her head to look at him from over her shoulder. "It was a dream right? I was dreaming. I had to be dreaming…"

"No, my master….it was all real," the panther said calmly.

"What?" he said. _That's impossible…That would me I…_

"You brought master Strife back from the dead," explained his cat.

"No! Impossible! That's crazy!" Rufus said, hitting the grass with his palm.

"It is not so, my lord," she replied, rubbing her head in his chest.

"Then…how did I get here?" he yelled. He tried to calm himself, but it wasn't working. Dark Nation smiled, moving to his lap, then to his ear.

"_They_ brought you back here, just as they did when you jumped from the roof of the Shinra Building. And they always will after you transform, but I can tell you no more, the Master Tseng approaches." Just as her sentence finished, Tseng came running from the house carrying a medical kit.

"Rufus," he said, running to his side, "can you hear me? Are you all right?"

"I…don't know how to answer that question…" Rufus said to the Turk leader. "I think I've gone insane." Tseng had lifted Rufus into his arms, _just as he did when I was a child,_ he thought, and was now carrying him back to the house. Through the windows he could see Reno, Rude, and Elena rushing back and forth across the house. "Where are we going?"

"To the hospital, Mr. Shinra….your….back has been torn apart…."


	4. Chapter Three: Wander with Crimson Eyes

Chapter Three: Wander with Crimson Eyes

* * *

_Oki, so I redid parts of this chapter (I added in Shelke...completely forgot she got wrote out of the first version). Hopefully, it flows better. (And my spelling mistakes with names have been fixed...ish...)_

_And I still don't own Square Enix..._

* * *

"Why is this happening to me?"

Rufus lay on his stomach in a clean hospital bed. His back at been put back together only an hour ago, and now, the pain was killing him.

"I wish I knew," answered Elena. She was sitting in a folding chair next to his bed, reading a newspaper. "All I know is if Tseng and Rude can't control the reporters outside, you're going to be all over the six o'clock news, like it or not." She folded the newspaper in half and set in on the bedside table. "You are feeling okay?"

"Yeah, besides the fact that the pain just kicked in and the pain killer isn't working, how about you?" Rufus mused, looking at her coolly, and then the exhausted form of Reno over in the corner.

"I'm fine, just tired. I mean, it's been like three days since we brought you here," Elena said.

_That long already?_

"Don't worry about us, Boss man. Just get better," Reno said.

"Did you send that letter in?" Rufus asked. Reno looked at Rufus and Elena, silently asking _what letter_ before settling back into his chair. Elena just looked down at her fingers.

"Yes, it should be getting back around tomorrow."

"Thanks Elena."

"You sure you don't remember anything on how your back got that way?" Elena looked at him, her face full of worry.

"I'm sorry, I don't," he said, turning away.

"Okay…just don't stress yourself, then. If you can't remember, you can't remember. Tseng said you probably can't remember because you lost conciseness or something like that, or that the pain associated with the memory is too great for you to handle right now. Just relax, all right?" Rufus nodded, and laid his head on a pillow, resting his eyes. Losing his memory due to pain has happened before. Torture, kidnappings…his father….all of them brought pain, and with it, scattered memories.

He closed his eyes, trying to rest. However, he found that he could no longer sleep due to nightmares he had begun to have. His most frequent was him holding Cloud's mangled body as it slowly was put back together, organ by organ, vein by vein. No matter how hard he tried, he could not sleep, in fear that nightmares worse that his most common would come. Nightmares of the beatings, the killings, the pain…his mother. Now on his third day of no sleep, his body had started to make objections. He had become very ill overnight, a fever spiking to 105 degrees. He hadn't eaten anything for two days, for his body would just reject it. All he had been a glass of water which he only takes small sips and his body was slowly rejecting that too.

"Try and get some sleep, if you can. I'll bring up some crackers; maybe your stomach will accept them today." Elena patted his head, standing slowly. He blinked and buried his face into his pillow, longing for sleep, but dreading it also. He waited for Elena to wake Reno, he had fallen asleep, and for them to leave before moving again. He sat up, moving to sitting on his knees. He brought his hand up slowly to his neck, where a cross from his mother, may she rest in peace, hung. He gently pulled the cross off his body and held it to his forehead. He knew from being in this hospital many times before that the wards were sound proof, helping the healing patients sleep. He took a deep breath and looked to the ceiling above. He just let it go.

He screamed.

* * *

"_Cloud?"_

He felt his body turn over, away from a light in his eyes.

"Cloud? Are you awake?" He felt his eyes open; he said nothing. He was in his bed, at his room above the Seventh Heaven Bar. Tifa was there, holding his hand in hers, her face red from crying. When she saw his open eyes, she threw her arms around his body and hugged him.

"You're all right!" She wept into his chest. "You have been sleeping for three days! We were so worried about you," she said. He sat up, holding her in his arms.

"Tifa," he said, waiting for her to calm down. She looked at him with her watery eyes. "Am…am I dead?" She pushed away from him, back straightening. She cocked her head in confusion.

"What do you mean 'am I dead?' No, Cloud, you're very much alive!" He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up.

"Is everyone still here?" he asked. Tifa nodded. "I'm going down to tell them I'm all right."

"I don't know, you sure you don't need any more rest?" He smiled at her and walked down the two sets of stairs into the restaurant. Sure enough, there was all of Team AVALANCHE. Yuffie, Cid, Shelke, and Cait Sith were sitting at one of the circular tables, playing cards as Red XIII watched, while Reeve was sitting near them at a separate table, doing some sort of work on his laptop. Barret, Marlene, and Denzel were eating breakfast at the bar, and Vincent was observing them all from a distance in the back of the bar, alone at a table with a small glass of red wine. He was the first to see Cloud walk into the room, motioning him to join his table.

"How are you feeling, Cloud?" Vincent asked as he sat down. He saw out of the reflection of Vincent's glass Tifa enter the room.

"I'm doing fine, but I can't believe that I'm really here," Cloud confessed. Vincent took a sip of his wine, nodding.

"And if I told you that you were brought back to life?" Vincent inquired.  
"I would say that I would agree with you. And here I thought it was all just a dream," Cloud told.

"I would like to explain what I…" he paused, clutching his chest for a moment, "I get it," he growled to no one, tossing a glare over his left shoulder. "Explain what _we_ thought happened." He was about to start when Barret cut him off.

"If yous gonna explain it ta Cloud, explain it ta all of us!" he yelled.

"Vincent, it's okay. You can tell us," Shelke added, though quietly.

Vincent shook his head, standing. Cloud thought he heard one of Vincent's demons say 'nosy humans' under Vincent's breath, but he wasn't sure.

"If that is what you wish, my dear human," replied Vincent, Chaos speaking through him. "Master Valentine doesn't truly understand either, so he will be listening this time instead of talking. If any of you have an objection to this notion, speak now." Yuffie began to put her hand up. "Madam Kisaragi, I'm annoyed with you, so your vote doesn't count," Chaos said, smiling to Yuffie. She put her hand down. Chaos waited a few more seconds for anyone to speak, then continued.

"It seems that as of nights thrice ago, Master Strife was killed, though the details are not clear," Tifa covered her mouth and looked at Cloud. The others stared from Chaos to Cloud, confused and shocked.

"I'm sure what you say is true, Chaos," Reeve said, "but Cloud's right there, and _not _dead." He pointed to add effect. Cait Sith nodded and the robot joined its master's table.

"Yes, well, allow me to explain a…_theory_…so to speak, that was created right after meteor fall two thousand years past. There was a young man who supposedly had been infected by the calamity right after it fell, turning some of his genes to resemble that of a Centra. Notice I said _resemble_. While the gentlemen could do and experience similar things to Centra, he was not one. Nowhere close, actually. Also, while the calamity altered some of his genes to resemble Centra, it also physically altered some genes to that of Degra. Thus, the human man was now a third Degra, a third human, and a third Centra, or that of a resembled. This transformation was called _Analect Degran_," Chaos said. He started to begin again when he noticed Shelke shift uncomfortably. "What is in, young Miss Rui?"

"I…." she started, but stopped when everyone began to look at her.

"Go on, Shelke," Reeve said, "You can trust us. Remember?" She nodded.

"When I was in Deepground, I remember Hojo mentioning something about this. He called the afflicted an angelic demon," Shelke looked down as she said this.

"Do you remember anything else? Did Hojo say anything? Please, refrain from answering if it is too painful." Chaos said.

"No, it's not that. It's just….Hojo said that it was very hard for a human to find the afflicted, but Hojo had his theories. I…I remember his saying that Weiss was an afflicted." Shelke turned away, the pain of her memories weighing heavily on her mind. "That's why Hojo never let the Tsviets leave Deepground. He said that the other Tsviets could control Weiss if he lost control."

"Which he did…" Cait Sith said.

"Not exactly," Chaos and Shelke said at the exact same time. Everyone looked at him. Chaos motioned for Shelke to speak.

"Weiss was not an Analect Degran. He told me so. He also told me…something else, but he said not to worry about it. He said he had no proof, just stories he had heard…Sorry, I do not wish to share anything more. Please, Chaos, continue."

"He could not lose control of power he never possessed," Chaos said simply before resuming his theory. "It is said in the histories that the man, in legend, did not know of his power until he experienced extreme emotion, such as rage or sadness. This, Ms. Rui, may have been why Hojo mistook Weiss, being as strong as he was, for the afflicted. However, strength and appearance has nothing to do with the afflicted. That reminds me. On the topic of appearance, the man in legend found he could transform into a creature with angelic wings, fangs, talons, scales, and horns. If it resembles Centra and Degra attributes, he experienced it. Sound familiar? Almost like the creature from a few nights back. In fact-"

"Wait, wait, wait! What in the Hell does this thing got to do with Cloud?" Cid yelled, interrupting Chaos. He glared at the demon, and then truly wished he hadn't. Chaos growled. "I mean, in all due respect, heh…"

"Since some people can't listen, I will tell you what we believe. We believe that the thing that brought Cloud to the roof was just that." Chaos concluded.

"So yous sayin' that beasty thing we saw three nights ago was an Agilict Digran?" Barret asked.

"_Analect Degran, _and yes," Chaos replied, correcting Barrets' pronunciation.

"So what is this thing able to do? How does it affect me?" Cloud asked, grabbing a bagel and a glass of milk from the bar.

"They are able to stop time, manipulate time, and even bring the _dead back to life_, among other things. The catch is, however, they cannot use Materia," Chaos told. "Also, Analect Degrans only follow one bloodline. If I am correct, and if I remember the legend, the bloodline of the Analect Degran always had blonde hair, blue eyes, wore red, white, black or gold," Chaos paused.

"Sounds kinda like Spiky over there," Cid said.

"Yes, but the afflicted only come from the descendants of the _Shi-Ra _clan." Chaos smiled as Barret dropped his fork, Cid slammed his fists down on the table, Yuffie burst out laughing, Tifa run to Cloud's side as he choked on the bagel, Red XIII coughed, Reeve looked up from his work, and Shelke turned ashen.

"Shi-Ra?" they all yelled, except for Reeve. Everyone was on their feet and yelling that no one heard Shelke or Reeve.

"Oh Gaia…Weiss was _right_…." Shelke said, quietly slipping from the room.

"Well, isn't that a twist," Reeve said, petting Cait Sith, "That sounds a lot like Rufus _Shinra_."

* * *

The man, one and the same from the North Coral Prison, walked in his tattered clothing through Edge, just like a wanderer. Just like his sister had reported, the city had been plagued by Deep Ground, but was already in the process of a steady rebuild. His crimson eyes flashed, changing his view from normal to his demon eyes. He searched for the bar called Seventh Heaven. He needed to check up on an old…_friend_… to say the least. He asked directions from an elderly human passing by and hurried off. Something had happened with his target, causing him to lose sight of the Analect altogether. He had a feeling that _they_ had something to do it, but there was only one way to find out.

"Through Chaos," the crimson eyed wandered said, spotting the bar, "The Lord of all Degra."

* * *

The side of his face was covered in vomit. He laid on his stomach on his hospital bed, covering his mouth to try and stop from vomiting again. It didn't work. Elena had run to get a cool towel and something to clean up the bile, leaving Rufus to try and keep down the few crackers he had injected. It was obvious after the first cracker that it wasn't going to stay down, but he had tried anyway. He felt himself gag again and clamped his mouth closed with his hand. His fever had returned, and the side effects took hold almost imminently.

"Here," Elena said, returning with towels and a bowl of cold water, "Try and roll over to your back if you can." He did, but a little to quickly. The pain in his back shot up his spine as he rolled. He quickly returned to his stomach to vomit again before slowly and gingerly rolling to his back. Elena helped him wipe off his face and she replaced the pillow. She placed a cold towel over his forehead, subduing the dizziness for only a moment.

"Where's Tseng and the others?" he tried to say. Elena pulled the covers over his limp, cold body.

"They're getting some stuff from Tseng's house. Rude asked the warden if they could let Dark Nation in to keep you company, so they're bringing her too." Rufus thought of his black panther-demon watching him from the chair Elena was sitting in now and shivered. He was still trying to comprehend what had happened almost a week ago on the Shinra building, and what had happened to Cloud. For some reason, however, he was comforted by the fact that his lifelong companion was actually a demon sent to protect him.

_But protect from what?_

He coughed again, turning over and vomiting over the side of the bed onto the floor. Elena gently rubbed his shoulders, the way a bigger sister would when she takes care of a younger sibling.

"I'm sorry, Rufus," she said as he threw up again. "I made you eat those crackers, and now you're worse than you were earlier."

"Its…okay, Elena. You were trying to help," Rufus said between gagging. "Plus, if I keep vomiting, I won't have anything to throw up." Elena tried to laugh, and he did too, but it was short lived. He rolled back onto his back slowly and with Elena's help, took a few sips of water to stop him from dehydrating. A nurse came in after that to help clean up the bile on the floor and reattach his IV, while Elena switched the towels on this head. She gently rubbed his head as his eyes began to sag.

_Let the nightmares begin._

* * *

"Miss Tifa, we have another costumer," Red XIII said, looking out the door. Sure enough, there was a man in a sand colored, hooded cloak walking up to the front entrance. Though it had been a few hours, no one was over the fact that Rufus Shinra had saved Cloud. But now the bar was full of costumers, and everyone had to do some work to help the place run smoothly, except for Reeve and Shelke. They had been called by the WRO and were asked to return as soon as possible. Vincent was supposed to go to, but had declined for some reason.

Yuffie, Denzel, and Marlene were taking orders, Cloud, Barret, and Cid were delivering food to the tables, Red XIII watching the door and receiving costumers, Cait Sith monitoring open tables, and she and Vincent were cooking. Turned out, Vincent was the best cook of all of them.

"Table for one!" called Red from the door, receiving the sand-colored cloaked man.

"Cait, any open tables?" She yelled to the robot cat. The cat motioned to an open spot at the end of the bar, and led the man there. Marlene scurried past the man to another table with a pitcher of water. They hadn't been this busy since they first opened, and never had they been able to convince Vincent to stay and help.

"Tifa, order five is done," Vincent said, passing her the plate, which she set on Barret's tray as he passed. He had changed into some of Cloud's old clothing, claiming his choice of attire would have been too cumbersome to cook in.

"Thanks for keeping up, Vince," she said, noticing that he had summoned Galian Beast beside him to help fulfill orders. It was a trick he had learned only a few weeks ago, and he had been practicing ever since. Vincent had found that he could summon Galian Beast or Chaos to his side at one time, or both at a time, but he chose to only call Galian Beast out at the moment. It turned out that, despite the appearance, Galian Beast was actually really funny.

"Not a problem, Tifa," Vincent said.

"Is it normal for humans to order pancakes at 6 pm?" asked Galian Beast, flipping a stack of five pancakes onto a plate and sending them down the counter to Tifa, who placed them on Cloud's tray.

"Yeah," called Cid, "it's called breakfast for dinner." Galian beast scratched his head and shrugged, continuing his cooking.

"Humans amuse me. I must try this 'breakfest for dinner' thing some time. Host! I want pancakes for our next evening meal!" Galian announced to Vincent. He merely shrugged as he passed another plate of food to Barret.

Tifa walked out of the kitchen to the end of the bar where the recently arrived man was sitting.

"Has anyone taken your order, sir?" she asked, setting a menu down before him. He looked up at her, taking off his hood. Tifa didn't know what was more shocking his blood red hair, or the blood red eyes.

"No, Mistress," he said politely, looking down at the menu. "But I just need some water." Tifa nodded and smiled, reaching out to take his menu. The man was so fast that she didn't realize that he had grabbed her hand until she had tried to pull back the menu. He pulled her close enough that his mouth was an inch or so from her ear.

"Tell _master_ Chaos that and old _acquaintance _wishes to speak to him." The man let go of her arm and let her stubble backward in shock. "Don't forget the menu, miss," he said innocently. She snatched up the menu and hurried back to the kitchen, frightened. She hoped that Vincent and his demon wouldn't notice, but their senses were too strong.

"Miss Tifa, are you feeling well?" asked Galian Beast as she returned to the kitchen. She tried to ignore the fact that Vincent was gazing at her.

"Yeah, just had a little scare with-" she started, and saw Vincent's eyes flash yellow.

"So…_he's_ here," Chaos muttered, and then Vincent shook his head.

"I would like it if you would warn me before doing that," Vincent said to Chaos.

"My lord, be nice to Host," muttered Galian, rubbing Vincent's shoulder.

"Sorry," Chaos said. Vincent stopped cooking and turned to Tifa.

"I'm going to…try and switch places with Chaos as I summon him so he has my appearance and I have his. He…wishes to talk to one of the costumers, and I don't think that…letting _him_ walkout into a crowded restaurant would be a good idea." Tifa giggled and nodded as Vincent muttered some words. There was a quick flicker of the lights and Chaos, in Vincent's form walked from the kitchen out to the bar. Vincent, in Chaos's form, returned to his cooking. Tifa couldn't help but laugh as Vincent attempted to cook while trying to fold Chaos' wide wings, hitting Galian Beast a few times in the process. At least he didn't break anything.

* * *

Chaos studied the costumers at the bar before walking past them. All of them seemed oblivious to the fact that a _very _powerful demon was sitting just down the row from them. He shook his head, and proceeded to the end of the row. There, he found an old…_friend_, sitting and enjoying a glass of water.

"Ra-Valgoré, what a pleasant surprise," he said in mock amusement, "I didn't realize you enjoyed water so much. Something about a sibling told me that you swore off of it." The fellow demon simply smiled, waving him off. "What are you doing here?"  
"It has to do with the meeting you are having in a few days with a young-" started Valgoré; Chaos silenced him with a cold stare.

"Not here, elsewhere. What have you found?"

"I lost 'im," the demon replied.

"How?"

"_They _got to him after he went crit." (A/N: crit- a demon term for transforming or losing control of one's power.)

"Damn," Chaos cursed. He looked at the young demon in front of him. It was hard to believe that he was talking to the _Ruby WEAPON. _

"And your siblings?"

"All out of range," Valgoré said. Chaos folded his arms. "No worries. They said everything's going according to plan. In fact," Valgoré started, eyes wandered to one of the television sets suspended above the bar. He watched the news program, a smile slowly forming on his lips. Chaos leaned over the counter with his back to see the program.

"_Rufus Shinra was rushed to the newly renamed Edge Hospital three days ago after an emergency call by one of the former Turks. Doctors have release that he was admitted to a private ward after the being told that his back had been severely injured. No reports have been made on how he was injured, but the doctors have told reporters that the injuries he sustained have greatly affected his body and…"_

"I think I just found our lost sheep."

* * *

So? Likes? Dislikes? Annoyed? (I'm having too much fun with this...)


	5. Chapter Four: Confrontation with a Demon

**a/n. Oki! Here is some more! Added some to it, though not much, cuz it didn't fit... R and R if you wish! I only own my insanity...trust me, you all would know if I owned Square Enix.**

Chapter Four: Confrontation with a Demon

* * *

"Damn! How did they get past security?" Reno yelled, slamming his fist into the cafeteria table. He and the other Turks, minus Elena, who refused to leave Rufus's side, even after the former president himself had asked her, sat at a round cafeteria table in the Hospital's mess room. The rest of the room was empty.

"I wish I knew," Rude muttered, looking down at his half full coffee cup. They were all exhausted, and not even coffee could help.

"They probably bribed one of the doctors from the operation room," said Tseng. They all knew it would happen, but they had hoped that maybe, just maybe, the media would leave the poor former president alone. Like that would ever happen.

"Guess they couldn't miss such a sight, Rufus bleeding from his back," sneered Reno. "I bet they'd want to see him do something else, like cry or something. What do they know about Shi? They didn't raise this kid. They know nothing about his past, his pain. They act like he's this sacrificial animal or something! They treat him like he purposely destroyed his back just so he could get some damn attention!"

"It doesn't matter, let's get something for Elena and go back. She needs a break," Tseng said, standing. Rude nodded and stood also. Reno stayed sitting. He was too angry to go back and guard his sick boss.

"I need to collect my thoughts," Reno said. It would have been a perfect time for a "You have thoughts?" joke, but no one was in the mood. Rude and Tseng nodded then took off to the elevators to go back to the ward. Reno stared down at the table, its blue-green surface blurring with his rage.

"Bull Shit! What do they know?" He leaned back in his chair, putting his feet on the table. He closed his eyes.

"Reno?" asked a voice. Reno opened one of his eyes; a younger man with crimson eyes and redder hair than him stood over him. Reno flipped around in the chair and studied the younger man. He stood about 5'10, wore black pants and a black Tee-shirt, and black boots. Covering his red hair was a black and red beanie, and he wore a red bracelet and a gold earring. Reno had no idea how this man knew him.

"What? Who are you?" Reno growled. _Probably so stupid reporter._

"I was looking for an old friend of mine. Rufus Shinra. I think you and I met once or twice in the past. I think it was at Wutai or at a meeting. You or Tseng were always guarding him." Reno studied the man. He looked familer, but he didn't trust him at all. Lots of people could just say they were a friend of Rufus' and then pull a gun on him when they got close. The man seemed to sense Reno's unease.

"I'm Vladimir Rikonsa, Vlad for short," the man said, holding out his hand. Now that looked at the man, _Vlad, _Reno did see that he was about Shi's age. He thought back to one of his Wutai missions, and remembered seeing a guy with red hair.

"Vladimir? Odd name," Reno said, taking the man's hand.

"Thank you, Reno," Vlad said, bowing.

"For what?" Reno said. He tried to let go of Vlad's hand. He couldn't.

"For telling me where my young little Shinra is. Rest easy." Reno looked at him. _I didn't say anything about Shi…_

"What? Rest? " Reno started. He saw Vlad's free hand touch his forehead, and his body became heavy like bricks. He fell to the floor. Reno's eyes followed Vladimir's body as it moved away. He tried to move, but his body was paralyzed.

"Trust me, it's for the better. Don't worry, they will not blame you," Vlad said, kneeling next to Reno's head. "Best you sleep and not know then know and not sleep. Rest easy, you'll need it." Vladimir closed his eyelids for him, and the world became a hazy, sleepy gray.

* * *

Blood dripped from Rufus's mouth, dripping onto the white bed sheets. He had been coughing up blood for the last hour, but the doctors could not find any internal bleeding. In fact, they couldn't find _anything _wrong with him. All of the medical equipment and test came back saying that he was perfectly healthy, but one look at him could tell anyone that he was sick with something. Many might even think he's dying. He looked pitiful, to say the least, but the three Turks would not tell him that. They knew better.

"Mr. Shinra," Tseng said, wiping the blood from his mouth, "are you sure you can't remember how your back was injured? It might be able to tell us if you were poisoned or not." Questions like this were getting on Rufus's last nerve, but he couldn't tell Tseng, or anyone for that matter, what had happened.  
"The answers the same, Tseng. I don't remember." Rufus tried to sit up, but was pushed back by Tseng.

"I don't believe it. I think you are lying to us," Tseng mused.

"Oh really now, that's a clever thought," Rufus retorted, "last time I checked, I was dying, not you. If I did know, since I don't_ want_ to die, I'd probably tell you if I remembered what happened." _Did he remember what happened? Was it real?_

"Ha, another lie!" Tseng said, banging his hand against the railing on the bed. "I helped raise you, Rufus. I can tell when you're lying." Tseng wanted to add _or did you forget that too?_ He refrained though. "I hate that about you. You think you can get away with anything."

"ENOUGH!" Elena screamed, punching Tseng in his face. The blow did nothing; it was half-hearted. "What do you know about anything that's going on, Tseng? So what if you helped raise him! You don't know everything! So Rufus says he doesn't have any idea what happened, who cares! So what if he's lying? It doesn't matter if we know or not! He doesn't need permission to keep secrets! For gods sakes, we have kept, and still keep, secrets from him all the time! What are you? His _father_?"

Tseng and Rufus stared at her, silent. They both knew she would say it, but silently wished she wouldn't. She looked to both of them, tears coming from her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring that bastard up...it's just, you weren't listening to anything and...and..."

"It's okay, Elena," Rufus said, trying to gently taking her hand. _Thank gods he knew how to switch the situation._ "Maybe you just need some sleep. You are all working hard to help me recuperate. You deserve a break." She gripped his hand like it was a lifeline. "Where is Reno?"

"Still in the Café. I'll go get him," Rude said, rushing from the room before anyone could object.

Tseng looked at his watch, his face tired.

"Not again…" he muttered.

"What?" Elena asked.

"My damn watch is dead. Again." Tseng rubbed his eyes. "Worthless piece of shit…"

"Oh, well it's five after…no…wait! Mine's dead too." Rufus looked from Tseng to Elena, then looked at the clock that hung over the door. It wasn't ticking.

"Tseng, I think something's going on," Rufus said, doing his best to sit up. "Tseng?"

Tseng had frozen on the way out of his chair. Elena was similar, unmoving.

"Oh shit..." Rufus said, trying to get out of the bed, but a cough that produced blood stopped him from fully getting balance and his feet on the floor. He hit the floor.

_Time has stopped..._

"How..._cough_...did this happen?" Rufus said, reaching up to grab the bar on the side of the bed. Something took his hand.

"I do think you should be resting, my _Master_." Rufus's body went stiff. He forced all of his energy into his arm and punched, feeling his fist connect weakly with flesh. The thing let go of his hand and staggered backward. He grabbed the bed rail and pulled himself to his feet, stabilizing himself. The room was spinning; he wouldn't be able to stand much longer.

"Interesting...can still fight..." Rufus started to sag back to the floor. "Somewhat. Easy, master, you can't do much right now. You've used too much of your power and your bodies reacting by making you sick. You'll be better soon."

"Who are you?" Rufus whispered, dropping slowly to the floor. His weak eyes attempted to focus on the man, or men, he couldn't tell, in front of him.

"I am," bowed the man, "Ra Valgoré of the Shifting Sand. I have come to inform you that your meeting with the..._ letter writer_... has been moved up. I have been sent to take you to the meeting place."

Rufus did his best to understand the man...no, creature, in front of him, but his inability to think clearly caused him to only understand half.

_The letter…the one written in blood. He knows the sender!_

"Are you a..." Rufus started, but a cough silenced his attempt to speak any more. The man dropped to his knees beside the former president.

"Yes, I am a Degra. Will you come with me?" the man smiled. He wrapped his arms around Rufus. Rufus looked around the room at his time frozen friends. There was no way he could get out of this. After surviving as many kidnappings and assassination attempts as he had, he knew when it was a time to fight and a time to shamelessly try to save himself or everyone around him. Simply, he knew when to try and negotiate.

"Yes...only if...you keep time frozen...so they...won't worry...about me..." Rufus said, trying to calm his broken and beaten body.

"Yes, anything for my master," Valgoré said. He took Rufus's hand. "To the Gates of Hell. Chaos awaits."

* * *

Chaos sat in one of the three dusty armchairs facing a piano. The Shinra mansion was deserted _(like it was ever used) _and dust had settled onto the few pieces of furniture. The room he occupied was the music room; the floor was covered in papers and a safe rest in the corner, its door hanging open on rusted hinges. On his way to the armchair, he had plucked at the piano; it was so out of tune that he had to cover his ears to make it stop hurting.

"This place never changes," he muttered, leaning back casually in the chair. A rat scurried across the ground and through a hole in the wall, into the main entrance way. The remains of a fallen Black Widow from Vincent and his last adventure lay there in the entrance, and Rosso's hole was there too.

"You really think he's going to come, Chaos?" Vincent asked, entering the room. He had asked if he could do a quick patrol to see if any Deep Ground were around the premises, and judging by the sheathed gun, there were none.

"Yes," Chaos said, answering his question, "and if he doesn't accept, Ra Valgoré will… _convince_ him, to say the least." He could feel Vincent's cold eyes boring into his skin.

"I don't like this Valgoré character. What is he to you?"

"Something for your ears only," Chaos said, smiling, "is your _bug _turned on?" He saw Vincent' eyes change from cold to shocked, and he fiddled with his concealed necklace.

"How did you know I was…" he faded off, hitting his head with his non-metal hand.

"Bugged? Did someone tell you demons _couldn't _sense them? I don't mind that you have one, so master Strife can hear my conversation, but next time, do inform me, master Valentine." He laughed as Vincent shook his head in disgust.

"Shut up. We just want to figure out this Analect business," Vincent retorted.

"And Cloud wants to see why the lord Shinra helped him," Chaos added, "although he just wants see so he can, I think the term is 'rub' it into his face." Vincent looked surprised. Chaos had never used Cloud's name besides calling him 'master Strife,' and not once had he added the honorific of "lord" onto _any_ name. "Just don't get in the way. My guest is here."

* * *

Rufus looked at the dirty cobblestones, wiping his mouth. It could have been the transportation, or the fact that he may have been still sick, but either way, he threw up. _A lot. _The demon, Valgoré, just hovered over him and said nothing, staring at him.

"What, never seen a human puke?" Rufus said, grabbing the demon's shoulder for support.

"Why yes, it's quite interesting to see you humans regurgitate your entrails," Valgoré said sarcastically, "I just didn't think you had that much in you to 'throw up'" Rufus glared at the demon.

"Let's go," he said. Valgoré nodded, and walked him to the door.

"Nasty hole. How did that get there?" Valgoré asked, staring at the deep pit. He was thoroughly amuzed.

"Anger management," Rufus said, walking through the door. The mansion was the same as he last saw it, lifeless. The only new installment of the house was a Black Widow ridden with bullet holes.

_Nice one, Vincent. _

"The caller's in the Music Room," Valgoré said. Rufus turned to thank the demon, but he was gone in a rush of wind, replaced by a small pile of sand.

"Okay…I guess he doesn't want my thanks….but then again, who does at the .moment," Rufus muttered. He turned back, and walked into the music room. Saying he wasn't shocked at who was sitting there would have been a horrible lie.

"Long time, no see Lord Shinra," Chaos said. "I see you got my message."

* * *

A/n...here we go again...


	6. Chapter Five: Why I Hate Explanations

A/n just found out that I've been spelling Cetra wrong. I suck, lol. Anyway, chapters a bit longer. I hope that it makes more sense than the original. :)

Chapter Five: Why I Hate Explanations

* * *

Rufus backed up against the wall. He didn't know if what he was seeing and hear was even really there. With what had happened in the last week, and his current condition, he didn't really know _what_ to believe. A half smile was on his face; he didn't know if he should be ecstatic with joy or scream and run for the town. Knowing his situation, he probably wouldn't make it to town, though.

"I take it you remember the little run in we had about seventeen years ago, hm? I take it I scared your late _father_ very well."

"He was never my father. And, I am not _scared_. I do not know the meaning of fear," Rufus growled. Chaos smiled as he saw the façade of the Shinra boy begin to fade, but only slightly. The façade quickly returned.

"Oh really? You mean to tell me the late President _Akito_ Shinra was not your father? Did his last name just happen to be Shinra? No relation?"

"He stole the name." Rufus said calmly. He felt his anger rising. "He's a murderer and a kidnapper. He killed both my parents and kidnapped me so he could claim me to be his son and rule Midgar. He's not related to me at all!" Rufus clenched his fists together, hard. Blood began to ooze from his palms.

_Calm down, _Rufus thought to himself, _he wants to break you. Just stay calm. _

"Really? I hadn't know," Chaos said simply. Chaos was lying; he knew very well who really was Rufus' parents. "In fact, I think you slightly _resemble_ Mr. Akito."

"_I _have no resemblance to that worthless pile of fat," spat Rufus.

"Do you have any proof?" Chaos mused. That was all Rufus could handle. It had been years since he had his last outbreak, but this was too much. All of a sudden, Rufus was no longer tired, no longer ill. He pushed from the wall and grabbed the demons neck, uncaring of the fact Chaos could easily kill him. The mask had broken.

"Proof! You want proof? I saw the bastard kill my mother with my own eyes! I saw him pull the trigger! She died in my arms! You want proof?" Rufus ripped the necklace from his neck, his only heirloom, his only thing from his mother, shoving it in Chaos's face. "Here's your proof!" The blood stained cross swung back and forth, glittering in the dim light. It was all he had left.

"Good," Chaos said. He pushed Rufus roughly into a chair across from him, unmoved by the stunt. He was actually pleased that he could get past the mask Rufus had worked so hard to make. Rufus panted with the exertion of his little energy. "But you shouldn't waste all your energy yelling at me, my Lord. I was just testing to see if you were the _real _Shinra and not an imposter." He summoned a glass of water and held it out to the panting human. "Water?" Rufus took the cup nervously, and sank into the chair.

"I should have known you were the same demo-I mean, Degra, from seventeen years ago. Thanks for the help back there," Rufus said coolly, he façade returning.

"My pleasure. You were such as lovely little eight year old." Rufus twitched at the comment, but made no other movement. "However, we both know why I called you here today; perhaps me more then you." Chaos stood and paced back and forth behind his chair. Rufus began to tap his right hand in a slow rhythm on the edge of his armrest. He had picked up the habit when he had Geostigma. It was the only way he could distract himself from the pain.

"It was just a dream," Rufus said. "I didn't jump from the Shinra building, I didn't kill all those Deep Ground, I didn't shift into some angelic creature, my cat can't talk, and I most definitely did not bring Cloud Strife, my _worst _enemy, back to life after he was torn to pieces, understand? I'll just blame everything that's happened in the last week on a random drug overdose by Reno and Rude." (Somewhere far away, Reno and Rude both sneeze.) "None of this is real. I am dreaming. I am very ill. This is a hallucination."

Chaos stopped pacing and looked at Rufus for a few seconds. Then, he burst out laughing.

"So says the human who has no idea what's going on!" Chaos laughed.

"I'm sorry, _Chaos, _correct, but I do believe that everything that has happened in the last week was either cause by drugs or my illness which is ailing me, so it was all just an illusion of the brain and nothing else." Rufus stood to go, "I am sorry if I took out of your time of plotting world domination and torturing your human host, but I must return to the hospital before your friend's time box depletes. Good day."

"You really have been out of the loop of your family's history, boy," Chaos said, causing Rufus to stop.

"I care not," Rufus said; his back to the demon.

"I think you do, or you wouldn't have stopped."

"Fine, let me give you a line _Cloud_ says. Not interested," Rufus spat. He continued to the door. He didn't sense Chaos until the demon grabbed him by the waist and back of the neck, effectively trapping the man and silencing him at the same time. Chaos dragged him back into the room, easily withstanding Rufus' struggling.

"I don't care if you are _not interested_. You don't have a choice. Please, take a seat; it might be a long explanation."

* * *

Cloud and the rest of Avalanche, minus Vincent, sat around a small computer screen, watching Chaos's conversation unfold. Besides when Barret had burst out laughing when Shinra had tried to strangle Chaos, it had been silent in the bar.

"Thank God Vincent is so good a hiding," Cid said, leaning back in his chair, breaking the silence.

"Due to Mr. Valentine's skills as a Turk, I doubt that Mr. Shinra will notice he is there," Shelke muttered.

"Yeah," Tifa closed his eyes.

"Kinda crazy, huh Cloud?" Barret said, nudging his shoulder. Cloud nodded.

"I guess it was Shinra that brought you back to life. Ya know…even if he doesn't believe it," whispered Yuffie. Cloud opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling.

"And I guess it really was him when I saw someone _jump off the Shinra building_."

* * *

Rufus sat back down in his chair, rubbing his throat and studying the demon.

"Are you comfortable?" Chaos asked. When Rufus nodded, he started his explanation.

"As you know, now at least, you can save yourself and others from death," Chaos started, "but you can also do much more than that. But before I get to that, I wish to explain what you are and just how important you are.

"I don't care," Rufus said coldly. He had had enough of all this.

"Too bad. Shut up and listen." Rufus groaned, Chaos ignored him. "You are something known as Analect Degran, or an angelic demon, hence your 'angelic creature' form. Such form, among other things, is passed genetically from only pure blood parents. This also means that both your parents were pure bloods of the Shi-Ra clan, as are you; otherwise, you wouldn't change form and have such strong power. This means, that even without a DNA test, I could tell you that Akito wasn't your father. However since you never met your real father, I am quite interested on how you found out Akito wasn't your relation," Chaos paused, gazing at the young man in front of him. "Please, do tell me."

"I found some files on the database," Rufus said simply. "That's it."

"Really? I thought it would have been more interesting than that. Oh well, where was I? Ah, yes. You are a rare being, for you are a mix of three different clans, one Degra, one Cetra, and one Hume, or human. This is due to a situation of marriage that occurred in your family right before the first Calamity Crisis. The male was full Hume, but due to his proximity to the Calamity when it fell, his genes altered slightly, creating the Hume and Degra genetics. His wife was a Cetra, plain and simple as that. Thus, when they were _lucky_ enough to reproduce, one child was Cetra, while the other was a mix. The son was full Cetra, while the daughter was the mix, and so she passed her genetic code through the generations to you.

"'Why didn't the son carry the genetic code on for the Cetra?' you might ask. Well, he was murdered before he was old enough to reproduce, at the young age of ten, I do believe, thus the Shi-Ra line of Cetra came to an end after only one generation. Sad, really. He was a lovely little boy….hum….just like _you_." Rufus shifted uncomfortably.

"Now, what happened at the Shinra building proved to me that you really were an Analect, otherwise I would have never called you here. Yes, you really did jump. _Cloud_ saw you."

"What?" Rufus said. "Cloud _what?_"

"He saw you jump. Didn't know it was you at the time. It is unimportant information. Allow me to continue. The fact that you didn't die is due to the Degra genes you have, and providing that certain conditions are met, you are granted partial immortality. In turn, you cannot take your own life, and only a very strong other could. Cloud does not even come up to the half-way point; you're too strong for _him_…right now. However, you can sustain injury and sickness, are _very _susceptible to drugs and posions, but they heal much more quickly, thanks to your Cetra genes. The drug susceptibility…well, let's just say it lasts longer than most when you do get injected with some things. The human part of you is your appearance, intelligence, and overall personality."

"But, then why am I still sick? And why does it matter that I am able to prevent such things? And you mean I'm a product of incest?" Rufus said the last question sarcastically, stopping the explanation. Chaos stopped pacing, which he had resumed earlier, and pondered.

"Gods, this is why I hate explanations! There are still questions at the end! Yes, you are a product of incest…but your father and mother's line that connected genetically connect at the daughter of the your ancient father's children, meaning its only incest if you trace it back through hundreds of generations. Why are you sick? You used your powers, and because you do not use your true strength at all, your body does not know how to compensate, thus the recoil is sickness. It only happens if you use your powers for the first time in a long time, such as _seventeen years_, orcontinuously, or you bring the newly dead back to life…oh, let's say, like Cloud for instance. As you can see, arguably, you have done all of those things I've just listed. Why your important-"Chaos paused. His ears perked up, listening to the world around him. "About time they showed up. Well, we have some visitors, so I will tell you in a moment." Chaos stopped and looked out the dust covered windows of the Mansion. Footsteps could be heard from outside.

"Deep Ground," Vincent said, appearing from the corner. Rufus looked at Vincent and then to Chaos.

"How long have you been there?" he asked. Vincent pulled out his gun, and passed a spare to Rufus.

"Long enough. Chaos, there are about thirty, don't blow the house down," Vincent said, running into the hallway. Chaos summoned forth two crescent blades and walked into the entrance room, but paused at the door. He turned back to Rufus.

"Come, I wish to see what you can do," Chaos said, holding out his hand. Rufus watched the movement outside, and glanced uneasily at Chaos. _Did he really expect him to fight? Didn't he see or hear him vomiting not too long ago? _ Chaos lowered his hand and moved into the entrance, leaving Rufus alone in the Music Room.

"There some are!" Rufus heard from the room next door. Gun shots echoed throughout the house, a deafening noise. Two Deep Ground soldiers got past Chaos and ran for cover in the music room, only to get their brains splattered across the floor by Rufus. _Guess he does expect me to fight._

He left the small room and joined Vincent in the hallway, getting pulled behind a wall by him just as a Black Widow fired.

"Thanks," Rufus said. Vincent nodded, passing some extra clips to Rufus.

"You're going to need them," he said, "There are two more Widows somewhere else." Vincent peaked out from the corner and shot electronic eye of the Widow, causing a self-destruct.

"Not bad for an Ex," Rufus said as three soldiers ran into the hallway. Rufus dropped them before they could even raise their weapons.

"You're not too bad yourself. You remind me of your mother." Rufus lowered his weapon and gave the man a satisfied look. Vincent motioned for him to follow. "Come on."

Rufus followed the ex-Turk down the hallway and past mangled bodies of once soldiers, no doubt torn to pieces by Chaos. The two of them ran for the entrance, stopping so they wouldn't run under an especially gruesome body that hung embedded to the door way. Its head and arm had been lobbed off and its stomach hung out of the hole where its head used to be, the hydrochloric acid dripping on the floor. Vincent turned away, and Rufus nearly threw up again.

"I told him not to go nuts," Vincent muttered, blowing a hole through the wall and using it instead of the door. The main hall wasn't much better. To say the least, it had gotten a new pain job in some places; a blood red.

Chaos stood in the middle of the floor, holding a disembodied head by its hair.

"Dumbass human," he said, throwing the head over his shoulder like a basketball. He caught Vincent and Rufus out of the corner of his eye. "There you two are!"

Vincent shook his head and kicked a dead Beast Soldier with his foot, checking to see if it was still alive.

"Did you spare any of them?" Vincent asked.

"Of these dumb things? No, not one," Chaos said proudly. Vincent and Rufus looked at each other and stepped back. Chaos looked at Rufus.

"There are still two Widows missing," Vincent said. He barely finished his sentence when a loud explosion was heard. Vincent rolled his eye. "Never mind."

"Shall I continue?" he asked, smiling. Rufus muttered a yes and followed him back into the music room.

"I don't think I have much more to say, beside the fact that Vincent has been here the whole time, but it doesn't matter. What does? I mean, so what if Cloud heard some of this conversation? So he found out you can bring back the dead and stop time! The bug was destroyed anyway by Vincent during the firefight," Chaos rambled. Chaos knew this was a lie, as did Vincent, but they knew Rufus wouldn't listen any longer if he knew Vincent was still linked back to the bar.

"So, you were bugged?" Rufus asked, turning to face Vincent. Vincent shrugged.

"I was, but as Chaos said, it was destroyed."

"Okay." Rufus said. "Good bye."

"Good bye? You're leaving?" Vincent questioned.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because, you said _Cloud_ hear the some of this conversation. _Cloud_ usually mean the _rest of AVALANCHE_ too. I don't want a bunch of egotistical terrorist knowing more about my family than I do. I've had enough. Good bye." Rufus pushed past Vincent and started for the main door. Vincent started to go to stop him when Chaos shook his head.

"And if I said they _already_ know more than you do about your family?" Chaos called after him.

"A hearty bluff," Rufus retorted, opening the door.

"Is it? Well, let me tell you this now. You are in great danger." Rufus let the knob slip from his fingers. He turned slightly to look at the demon.

"So what? You know who I am. I am _always_ in danger. Walking down the street, I could be killed. As I've said plenty of times today, I've had enough. Enough games, enough of this dream. I'm done."

"You don't understand, child. Your powers are affected by your emotions. Because of your confusion and misguidance, you will be unable to control yourself in the near future. You will cause great harm to yourself and those you care about if you don't let me finish. If your life is in danger, you will change forms. You know that already. Just understand this, if you transform, but everything you've ever cared about is destroyed because of situations, you may not, or will not, change back." Rufus waved him off.

"Unimportant information. If you haven't noticed, I've already lost everything near and dear to me. I changed back."

"Fine. If you are so confident that you have separated yourself from compassion, explain to me why you asked your escort not to wake the Turks from the time shield." Vincent said. _He is really like his mother._

"I do not need to explain my motives to you nor anyone else."

"You are the last of key part of this planet, child, for you are the last pure blood Shi-Ra," Chaos started, "You may think that you can just fade into the background now that Shinra Electric Power is gone, but that is a lie. You don't realize just how important you are. You have enough power inside of you to destroy the meteor, four times over." Rufus could tell that Chaos and Vincent were stalling. Vincent's body language had changed dramatically since the firefight, and Chaos was just acting…_strange_.

"If you're just going to ramble, I'm leaving. I don't have time for this," he said. Chaos smiled.

"Of course my lord," Chaos said. He produced a shield around Vincent and spread his wings. "But only if you want to know." Rufus turned and looked at the demon. He nodded.

"Your ancient father was the King at the time, and he married a Cetra that I raised for her parents were murdered. She, in turn, is your mother from long ago, and she was the queen at the time before she died trying to stop the Meteor." Chaos tensed, ready to take Vincent and transport out of the area.

"The King was Lord Demix Sucret Lumni Shi-Ra….and his wife was a strong Cetra….of which you are the descendent of. Shinra, you are the only true son…" Rufus's body began to shake. His mother used to tell him stories about King Demix, but she would always skip the Queen's name. _Why did it matter? It's just a name…_

The windows began to crack.

"The true son of Jenova."

The windows shattered.

* * *

A/N. So, comments? Better, worse? I'm annoying?

Once again, sorry for the spelling mistakes!


	7. Chapter Six: Monster

Chapter Six: Monster

…_memories, just memories…_

* * *

"_Rufus, dear, come help with dinner!" Lilith yelled calmly. She was only thirty five. _

_ Rufus came running down the stairs of their home. At this present time, he was living with his mom in her manor. His father and his mother, whom was the true president, had owned the Shinra Electric Power Company. His dad had originally worked for her, but then… well, his mother never went into it. She always told him that she would tell him when he was older. _

_ "Coming mommy!" Rufus, age six, called, "but it's your birthday today, so I should cook!" _

_ "Yes, love," she said, holding the door to the kitchen open to let the rushing six year old through. "But you're much too young to cook." He reappeared holding two brightly colored plates._

"_For two, right?" he asked. She giggled, pointing to oak table. Even though they were wealthy, Lilith had chosen not to hire servants, in hopes to teach her son to be giving and not dependent on receiving. The only 'servant' that they had ever had was a babysitter who actually ended up moving in with the Shinras. She was hired originally when Lilith had just had Rufus. She wanted to help tend to the house when President Lilith had her meetings halfway across Gaia. Everyone knows you can't take a newborn to a business meeting. Currently, she was on vacation in Mideel. _

_He rushed past her again, walking out this time with glasses and forks. She retrieved the knives. Much too sharp and dangerous for her little prince, she had said. _

_Rufus hopped into his seat, and Lilith took hers facing the large window in the front hall. She had already set the food on the table; steak, green beans, and garlic mashed potatoes. She set a piece of steak on Rufus's plate, and then took one for her. Rufus started to reach for the green beans. _

"_Rufus, dear, don't forget your serviette," Lilith said in her clear voice, placing her own napkin in her lap. _

"_Oopse, thanks mommy," Rufus said, quickly placing his in his lap. They began to eat, talking about their respective days and what Rufus wanted to be when he grew up. Dinner continued like normal, but something didn't seem right to him. Soon, a great silence fell over them like a veil of mist. _

_Lilith broke the silence. "Rufus, could you go get my book. I've seem to have left it upstairs. On my bedside table, I believe." _

"_Okay, I'll be back in a second," Rufus said, jumping from his chair. He started up the stairs when his mom's words stopped him. _

"_Take your time….and Rufus?" she said. He turned. "I love you very much." He looked at her, confused. _

"_I…I love you very much too, mommy." He hugged her before he turned back and continued up the stairs to his mother's room. He walked into her nicely decorated room and around the neatly made four-poster bed to her black marble bedside table. He looked for her book, but found nothing. He began to look under the bed when he realized that her book was sitting on the kitchen table. Why had she sent him upstairs when her book was already on the table downstairs? He started to walk to the door, utterly confused, when he stopped. He swore he had heard something. It sounded like a group of voices, but one was distinct. The Bad Man? he thought. No…that wasn't his name. His name was….Akito, right?_

_He crept out his mom's doorway and crouched behind the banister. He could now hear his mother's voice in the mix. He crept out a little, allowing himself to look down to the bottom of the stairs. He was right! One of the voices was Akito, and the others were of two armed bodyguards. When did they get here?_

"_Mrs. President, I do believe it's best if Rufus would come with me. He needs a man in his life, and your teachings are making him nothing but soft hearted. He needs a father. His father," his dad said. _

"_Akito is my father?" Rufus whispered to himself. He had heard the stories. Akito was a murderer and a monster. He did anything to get his way. "No wonder mother never wanted to tell me." _

"_That's what you think, Akito. Rufus deserves a house with love in it. My house has that, your house doesn't. You're not even his true father! You killed Feymos and claimed to be Rufus's father! He knows you're not related. Don't even tell me that I'm wrong," Lilith countered. _

"_Wait…he's not my father? If he's not my fathe, who is? Who is Feymos?" So many question began to form in the young boy's mind. _

"_Now, now, don't make me do this by force, Lilith. You know where that will get you" Akito said, waving a finger in Lilith's face, the guards tensing. Rufus understood now, mom didn't want him to see this, so she had sent him away. _

"_You're just doing this because Rufus is the only heir to the Shinra Electric Power Company. You care nothing for him at all!" Lilith yelled. _

"_Hmm, your right! I care nothing for the brat! I just want the title! Gods, Lilith, you were always to the point." Lilith didn't see the gun in time to react, but Rufus did._

"_Mommy! Move!" He was too late. Akito had already pulled the trigger and the bullet hit Lilith in her stomach. The force of the blow knocked her back into the wall. _

"_Go, bring me the brat!" Akito bellowed. The guards began to climb the stairs, causing Rufus to panic. His mother lay bleeding against the wall and now two guards were approaching him, and fast._

_He tore away from the stairs. A guard fired a warning shot, telling him they weren't afraid to shoot. It hit directly above Rufus's head, causing him to scream. _

"_Don't kill him. I need him alive, if not for just a little while!" Akito yelled._

_Rufus ducked and dove for the large window at the end of the hall. The guards had made it to the top of the stairs, and one of them fired again, but this time, it connected with the flesh and bone of Rufus's right arm. The impact sent him crashing through the window in front of him. The window broke into a thousand pieces and sent him falling. He groped for something, anything to break his fall. He grabbed hold of a tree branch and gritted his teeth in pain. He lowered his body to the ground, listening. They were looking for him. Their voices echoed to him from the front. They were outside, searching. He went quickly to the back door and opened it with his spare key that he always had around his neck. He bolted for the front hallway. _

"_Mom!" he whispered, tearing up. _

"_I…am here, little one," she panted. He ran to her side. "I knew…he…would come…..to take ….you from me. Oh, my…little prince." She was coughing up blood now. _

"_Mommy, hang in there, please!" Rufus pleaded, crying. _

"_Don't cry. Rufus…I can't…stay…but….I'll wait…for you. Don't….worry, we'll all… wait. Everyone will be there… Here…take this…" She handed him her necklace, a cross. _

"_Mommy! Thi-this is yours!" Rufus cried. _

"_Yes…but…I'm…giving…it…to….you...its…yours….now…never...forget…that and don't open your eyes! Please…don't open your eyes…Not yet, just wait, Rufus…Not…ever…never…open…y-your…true…eyes…unless…Never…unless…you…__must." Her breath became rapid._

_ "I don't understand. Mommy! I don't understand!" Rufus cried harder._

_ "Little one, stop crying," she said, rubbing his head. She was so weak. "I'm sorry I…lov…."She died before she could finish. Rufus cried as his mom laid there lifeless in his lap. He didn't care anymore. He didn't care about Akito. _

_ "Mother, what do you mean?" The tears flowed freely. He couldn't stop. "MOTHER!"_

_ "Ah, there you are my son. Guards!" All of a sudden, two guards were holding him up into a standing position. Rufus looked into the eyes of Akito, the murderer. "How are you, my son?"_

_ "Shut up!" he shrieked. Akito hit him, hard. _

_ "Shut up? Is that what you just said to me? My son doesn't talk back. And he doesn't cry!"_

_ " I'm not your son! I will never be the son of a murderer!" Rufus screamed. _

_ "Well, now. That isn't your choice, it's mine" Akito laughed. "And if you want to survive, you will be quiet and just pretend. Let's go!" They began to walk out of his home, dragging him out and toward his 'dad's' black limousine. He looked at the guards and recognized one of them. He…looked just like…_

_ The guard to his right swung his gun. It connected with the other guards head, rendering him unconscious. Akito barely had time to turn around when the gun connected with his stomach, and then with his head. Rufus felt himself get picked up and carried away from the two injured men. The guard, it was Tseng! Tseng carried Rufus until they came to a small outcrop by a subtle forest filled with flowers, a mile away. A small breeze played with Rufus's hair. _

_ "I'm sorry I didn't step in. I didn't….know he…I didn't think he would actually… fire…" Tseng said, panting. _

_ "I-it's okay, you did what you could," Rufus said through tears. _

_ "Here," Tseng said, taking his hand, being careful not to hurt his right arm anymore. Tseng clutched the sobbing child to his chest. "I-I'm so sorry."_

_ "Don't leave me…" Rufus said weakly, hugging back._

"_Let's make her a memorial here on this outcrop," Tseng said, quietly. Rufus nodded, seeing that the outcrop had everything his mother loved. Together, they made a crude stick cross for his mother, Lilith. _

"_Later, we'll bring a stone for her," Tseng muttered. _

"_You promise?" _

"_Yes." _

_Rufus looked to the sky as a cloud of smoke rose in the distance. _

"_...And I promise that I will never cry again…" A loud explosion echoed from the distance. It was then that Rufus knew that his mother…his Lilith… was never coming back._

* * *

_He lay there, on the bathroom floor, covered in blood. The stall in front of him was ridden with bullet holes, as was the mirror and wall behind him. His blood pooled around his limp body, dripping from the bullet hole in his head, his stomach, and his mouth. But he wasn't dead._

"_You stupid brat!" Akito yelled, throwing the gun at Rufus's head. It struck him, but he made no movement. "You think, just because your fifteen, you can just waltz on up to my desk and talk to me? Huh! You can't talk to me, you can't order me, and you can't do anything to me! You're nothing! Just like your witch of a mother. Just a little, worthless monster." Akito's laughter echoed as it left the destroyed bathroom. _

_The world had faded red._

* * *

_Glass lay shattered at his feet. Midgar's air blew past him through the broken windows of the President's Office. The board members cowered before him, and Akito was in front of him, gun shaking. His white wings were covered in blood from his back and his silver hair hung messily in his eyes. _

"_Rufus… what are you?" he stammered. Rufus swiped his right hand to the side and Akito's gun disappeared. _

"_We are what we are," Rufus said, stepping forward, "and this is what you've caused to come forth." His voice was his, but at the same time, not. _

"_De-demon!" Hojo screamed, firing three shots from his gun. One sliced through Rufus's left wing, and the other bounced harmlessly off his chest. _

"_You're making it worse, Hojo!" Reeve yelled. Scarlet and __Heidegger had fled from room, leaving Reeve, Hojo, Akito, and Rufus alone. _

"_If that is what you wish to call us, but a Degra we are not," Rufus replied. Akito had backed into the wall. _

"_You're…you're a…MONSTER!"_

…_I'm a monster…_

…_nothing more…_

_just a puppet…_

_just a monster…_

* * *

_The world was filling with laughter. _

_The world was filling with screams._

"Shinra! Wake up, boy!" Chaos yelled over the whistling glass. "Damn it! I knew I should have waited!"

"Like hell you should have!" Vincent yelled, firing at a glass shard that was aimed directly at his head. "He's going to kill _me_ for what _you_ said."

"No he isn't!" Chaos hollered as a piece of glass cut through Vincent's cheek. Some of his hair was caught in the slice, and fell to the floor in bloody strands.

"Chaos!"

"Well, you _needed_ a haircut!"

"NOT WHAT I MEANT!" Vincent bellowed. He wasn't panicked, just shocked that the twenty-five year old former president had turned into an angelic _thing,_ for lack of better words, in a matter of seconds and was now using the glass from the windows as throwing knives. He knew it was terrifying for AVALANCHE to watch him transform, but he knew it wasn't like this. The wind was whipping around in a green vortex, slicing through objects like a knife to hot butter.

"Okay! I get it! But I have to calm him down!" Chaos said, ducking. Vincent had already taken cover.

"Why in the hell would you want to do that? And why are _you _ducking?" Vincent retorted.

"Because it would rest on my conscience for a while if I didn't….and he can….. kill a Degra when they get this way!"

"You ass! You don't have a conscience! You're so full of sin right now that if Aerith were to use Great Gospel right now and a drop of the water was to hit you, you'd implode into a pile of molten shit!" Vincent yelled, firing Cerberus again.

"So you say, but you made a fantastic host!" Chaos yelled back.

"Fuck you! That wasn't my choice! IT WAS HOJO!"

"STOP BLAMING IT ON OTHERS! YOU LET THAT BITCH YOU LOVED GO! YOU LET HER GO!" Vincent turned his gun away from Shinra and fired two shots at Chaos.

"What tha….what's that for?"

"SHUT UP YOU NUMBNUTS AND HELP ME WITH SHINRA!" Galiant Beast broke in.

"Oh, right," Vincent and Chaos said. Chaos dove from his hiding spot and pinned Rufus to the wall. Rufus kicked him hard in the stomach and threw him, but Chaos spun out of it and pinned him back to the wall.

"Shinra! Listen to me! I know you're confused and hell, maybe scared, but you have to calm down. You could kill everyone if you don't!" The wind began to die down, but it was still fierce.

"Rufus!" Vincent yelled, "Calm down." He didn't know how he did it, but Vincent heard his cell phone over the fight. He answered it quickly.

"Hey Jackass! Now's not the time to make personal calls!" Vincent gave Chaos the finger and tried to block out the noise.

"VINCENT!" came Tifa's voice from the phone, "REEVE SAID HE HAS AN IDEA!" It was evident that she was only yelling into the phone because the bug was malfunctioning. "REEVE SAID THAT HE'S SEEN RUFUS DO THIS ONCE BEFORE. ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY IS THAT HE ISN'T A MONSTER AND HE'LL CALM DOWN!"

"Thanks Tifa," Vincent said, and he shut the phone. He jumped from his hiding spot and stood before Rufus, still held against the wall.

"Hide, you fool! He'll tear you to pieces!" Chaos roared.

"Rufus!" Vincent yelled, holding up his non-metal hand. "I know how you feel! You're not a monster! It doesn't matter what you can change into, it doesn't make you a monster! So what if you're different!" The window behind Vincent cracked and thirty shards of broken glass shot toward Vincent. He held up his hands to block it, but they never impacted. He lowered his hands.

The wind had stopped howling, and the glass shards hovered lamely in the air before falling harmlessly to the ground. Vincent turned and saw Chaos holding the limp form of Rufus Shinra, returned to normal. Blood was dripping from the young man's back. Chaos was attempting to heal the wounds, but it didn't seem he was making an progress.

Vincent's phone rang again.

"Hello?" It was Reeve this time.

"Did it work; are you alright?" the ex-Shinra executive asked.

"We're fine. We're going to bring Shinra back to the bar," Vincent said. Chaos looked at him oddly.

"You're what!" yelled Barret's voice from the line. "LIKE HELL ARE YOU TWO BRININ' THAT BASTARD HERE!"

"Shut it, Barret!" Tifa yelled back. "Okay, I'll have Reeve contact the Turks so they don't come running here with gun's blazing, thinking kidnapped him or something. See you soon."

"Tifa, does Cloud know about this?" Vincent asked.

"Well…not really. He left before the firefight with Deepgroud. Said he had to clear his head….but he will when he gets back…" Tifa hung up the phone.

"This is going to be…how do you say it? Ah yes, _crazy_," Chaos said, walking toward the door, supporting the former president in his arms. "We should get going." Vincent nodded and looked at the destruction Rufus had caused.

"All this, just because you told him that he was a descendent of Jenova," Vincent muttered.

"Yeah, and think about what could have happened if it was _Hojo_ telling him instead of me…" Chaos muttered. They walked down the broken cobblestone path, turning to go up to Mount Nibel instead of going into town.

"Hey Vince?" Chaos asked, taking flight when they were far enough away. It had been decided earlier that Vincent was going to transport and Chaos was going to fly.

"Yes?" Vincent said, preparing to transport back to Edge.

"Thank you….for being my host…." Chaos vanished before Vincent had time to react. Vincent looked at where Chaos was once was.

"_What?_"

* * *

A/N. So yes, there is OOCness all over this chapter...but hey, Vince was human once...and Rufus was six. Get over it. Love you all!


	8. Chapter Seven: The Prince and the Pauper

Chapter Seven: The Prince and the Pauper

The air blew past him as he sped down the rocky path back to Edge. Cloud pushed his motorcycle to go faster, but he really wasn't in any hurry; he was just edgy. His delivery had been very successful for once, and it had only taken a few hours to get there. He was just a bit on edge from the last time he made a delivery…and ended up dog food. He shook his head, clearing the though from his mind.

"Like Cid said, it was probably just a fluke," he muttered. He slowed the bike a little and continued on.

His phone rang. He debated whether he should ignore it or not. He glanced at it; he already had 94 messages. He picked it up.

"Hello?" He said, now driving the bike with one hand.

"_Cloud?" _Tifa's voice asked from the other end.

"Yep, it's me," he said back, slowing the bike to a stop so he could hear her better.

"_Uh, how do I say this…well, Vince just got back from his meeting…"_

"Good, how'd it go?"

"_He brought Shinra back with him…"_

"WHAT!" Cloud spat, "I leave for three hours and he drags that heartless bastard into my house? Are you sick, Tifa?"

"_Yeah, that's really close to what Barret said…" _

"Get rid of him!" Cloud yelled. He clenched his fist; he didn't really care about Shinra, but the fact of his dirty ass sitting in his bar just pissed him off.

"_Ah…we can't?"_

"WHY THE HELL NOT?"

"_He's unconscious…something Chaos did to him…"_

"What?"

"_Uh…well…talk to Vincent!" _Cloud looked at the phone and held it back to his ear.

"_Cloud? It's Vincent."_

"Good…NOW GET SHINRA OUT OF THE BAR!"

"_I can't."_

"Why?"

_"It's part of Chaos's plan. Also, I need you to come here quickly. I need you to disguise yourself as Shinra and return to the Turks."_

"Vincent, what are you on? I'm _not _pulling a look alike for Shinra!"

"_Then I'll just tell Barret what you said about him at Don Corneo's."_

"Wha…HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?"

"_I have my sources."_

"Vincent, you heartless beast. You're worse than Chaos and Sephiroth combined."

"_Why, thank you."_

"Why can't you just have Reeve call the Turks and tell them you have Shinra there?"

_"It was our first option, but then we realized that they would probably take it as a kidnapping and come to fight us. It wouldn't be good for little Marlene or Denzel to see. Get back here quickly. Bye." click_

"I…but! GODS VINCENT!" Cloud screamed into his phone, holding himself back from throwing it. "FUCK YOU! If this is what I get for dressing like a girl to save Tifa, I wish I never had!"

He looked down at his bike, which was still on, and pulled out the keys. Just to piss them all off, he was going to walk the rest of the way….

All of the _fifteen _miles left to go.

* * *

"Why is Spiky taking so long?" Cid asked, looking up from his newspaper. It was close to midnight and the sky was rumbling. It would be the fifth thunderstorm this week.

"He's probably still pissed at us and so he's walking the rest of the way," Chaos muttered. Chaos was sitting about a few feet from Vincent, legs crossed, on a table, fiddling with the Proto materia. "Actually, that's exactly what he's doing. He'll be here in about five minutes."

"Great, took him long enough," Yuffie said, putting her feet up on the table. "Hey Tif?"

"Yes, Yuffie?"

"Do you think it was a good idea to make Barret guard Shinra while he's sleeping?"

"No, so I sent Reeve and Cait up to join him," Tifa said.

"Smart move," replied Red. "But we shouldn't tell Cloud that he's sleeping in _his _bed…"

"Yeah…" everyone agreed. Just then, Marlene walked down stairs. She skipped over to Tifa.

"This is going to be so cool!" she said. "It's like the _Prince and the Pauper_; Shinra's the prince and Cloud's the pauper! I can't wait to do Cloud's hair! It's almost as long as mine!" Marlene giggled, laying some combs and hair gel on the table before running back upstairs.

"Cloud's here," Chaos said, throwing the materia up and catching it. The door kicked in, and an exhausted Cloud Strife walked in.

"I….hate…you …all…" he said.

"Are you still mad at us?" Yuffie asked.

"No, not _at all_," he said sarcastically. "I'm _not _doing it." Chaos looked up from the Proto materia.

"Oh really now? I don't believe you have a choice, Strife," he said, gliding to the floor.

"Why did you bring the demons into this, Vince?" Cloud asked.

"Because I think it's fun," Vincent said smiling. Cloud took a step back; he didn't like Vincent's smile….it was almost a…_happy_…smile.

"Fuck you, Turk."

"Fuck you, Soldier."

"Guys, GUYS!" Tifa yelled. "There are children here!"

"Yeah!" Cid added, "Cloud, Vince, shield your ears!" Chaos looked around, to the clock, then at Cloud.

"Shall we get started? I think the Turks are worried and I don't know how long the doctor can stall for us before I transport the decoy back. I have an Oni* (see end of this chapter for explanation) in his place, but it can't last forever," Chaos said, cracking his knuckles.

"Sure," Vincent said, grabbing Cloud's arm and dragging him inside. "Let's work."

* * *

Reno paced back and forth outside Rufus's ward. The doctor had made them leave almost eight hours ago, and all the Turks were now waiting to get back in. Never had the Turks _not _been allowed in a ward of a recovering charge. At least one of them was _always_ beside Rufus.

Reno looked at his watch, quarter past two in the morning. It was going to be another sleepless night if the doctor didn't hurry up.

"Alright Mr. Reno," said the doctor, at last coming out of the ward, "he's all yours." Reno hardly waited for the doctor to finish his sentence before he ran into the room.

"If he's dead, your head's gonna roll!" Reno yelled, throwing the doctor out of the way. The other Turks followed Reno closely. Tseng stopped briefly to pick the doctor up off the floor.

Rufus was sleeping with his back to the door. From where Reno was standing, he looked a hell of a lot better than he did yesterday.

"He should be all better by today at noon. You can return to your dwelling after you get the paperwork sorted out," the doctor told.

"That's great!" said Elena, walking in the door. She ran to Rufus's side. "He's sleeping well now!"

"Thank gods he's getting better. I thought he was going to die," Reno said, shaking his head.

"He gave us all quite a scare," agreed the doctor. "Could you all come with me to the room next door? I need to get some paper work settled."

"Sure," Elena said. The others nodded and started to go. Tseng looked at Rufus once more before leaving the room.

"Rufus, if you need anything, we are next door," he said simply, then left.

Rufus turned over, fully awake. He sat up.

"Are you alright, Cloud?" the doctor said. He was really Liko, an old friend of Yuffie's. He was a medical worker in Wutai.

"Yeah, thanks for the help. This is going to take some time to get used to," Cloud said.

"Agreed," Liko nodded, "but I have made contact with Shinra's Degra that protected him and she has agreed to accept you as a replacement for now. I'm sure you remember Dark Nation?"

"Great!" Cloud said. Shinra's demon cat was _really _a demon. "When do I get to meet her?"

"Right now. Good to see you're still alive, Master Strife, or should I say, _Rufus,_" Dark Nation said, walking into the room in her panther form.

"Pleasure. Now try not to kill me this time," Cloud joked.

"Wouldn't dream of it. You are helping my Beloved, so I care not who takes his place while he rests." Dark Nation looked to Liko and then at Cloud.

"Wait…_beloved?"_ Cloud asked. He was ignored.

"The Turks return. Master Liko, you will go talk to them, yes?" Liko nodded and all but ran from the room. Dark Nation turned to follow.

"Master Strife, I must warn you. As a replacement for my master, you must not tell the Turks who you are…and much more importantly, you must not tell _them _where my Beloved is. Understand?" Cloud looked at the cat, her tail swishing back and forth with a trance-like grace.

"Yes, but who are "_them_"?" he asked, but Dark Nation had vanished. A voice answered him.

"The searcher of the Child, the ones who wish to kill my Beloved and take his body to the evil one, _Omega_, and feed his corpse to give the destroyer power. The _Betrayers_."

* * *

Valgoré sat on a sand dune, looking across the barren wasteland. He was waiting for his sister, Diahmond, and his brother, Ultima. They were going to discuss what to do now, since the new master was in Chaos's hands. He lay back on the sand, moving his sand-colored cloak out of his way. He closed his eyes.

"Things are getting out of hand. If it gets any worse, _they _might get him," Valgoré said. He looked to the sky, the sun rising in the distance. _They're late,_ he thought. He knew if Ultima hadn't brought Rufus back from the forest where he had brought Strife back, _they _would have gotten him for sure. Everything was running too closely. One wrong move and the world was gone.

"I can't believe it. I can't believe the war two thousand years ago is happening again. The War of the _Deserters and the Betrayers._" He folded his arms and closed his eyes.

"I hope we don't lose her this time, right Chaos?"

* * *

Chaos looked to the lightening sky, sitting on the wet rooftop. All the humans had gone to bed, and he was now hoping that Cloud wouldn't blow his cover. He flicked the Proto materia up and down, catching it each time. He knew it was best for Shinra to be here, but he also felt like he was putting great pressure on his fellow Degra to protect the fake one. He was also worried that Cloud could be killed, _permanently, _and he was going to be blamed for another death. It was too much.

"Are you sure you are both agreeable with such notion?" Chaos asked to the white haired, white cloaked figure beside him, and the women dressed in silver on the other side.

"Yes, my brothers and sisters, as well as the Degra Order, are agreeable with splitting the protection between here and the other," Ultima said.

"And the ones already on the planet know very well too," Diahmond added.

"Then you know perfectly well the consequence if this is to fall through?" Chaos said.

"Yes, My lord," replied Ultima.

"As always, My lord," said Diahmond.

"Then go, and keep the ones who come hidden from Omega's sight."

"If that is what you wish," started Ultima.

"For the Cetra, Humans, and Degra," added Diahmond.

"I will grant with all I can," finished Chaos. Ultima took flight and disappeared into the sun rise, Diahmond joined him. Chaos clutched the Proto materia hard in his hand, cracking it slightly. Only if Vincent knew what he knew, saw what he saw! All the things the man would help with, only if he knew the truth! He only knew a fragment of the truth on why he died, why Lucrecia had chosen him, the Degra Lord, to replace Vincent's heart. Only if they knew! Only if the world knew the tragedy that was to befall them!

"The lady Lucreica….this is just as you and I said it would be. I am so sorry that you were forced to see such a gruesome end to such a young boy. But you and I both knew, in the end, one would die."

* * *

*Oni: A creature created by a demon or powerful human to be a replication of another person or oneself in time of hiding. Most Oni's are made from dust, dirt, or sand and cannot bleed. Most Oni's have one small characteristic that is a flaw, creating an almost perfect replica. (For example, if the one copied had two blue eyes, the Oni might have a blue and a blue-green eye.) The more powerful the creator is, the less noticeable the difference will be. If a deadly blow/ mortal wound are sustained by the Oni, it returns to its natural form of dust, dirt, or sand. Oni means demon.


	9. Chapter Eight: I Don’t Care For Sympathy

A/n. So, this chapter is a lot different than it was originally. It does contain some Cloud bashing (literally), so get over it now or message me and rant to me later.

Chapter Eight: I Don't Care For Sympathy

* * *

The room was dark; there wasn't much in it besides a bed, a side table with some pictures of AVALANCHE, and some motorcycle parts in a corner. From this observation, Rufus was able to produce a very logical question.

_What the Hell am I doing in Cloud Strife's house?_

He rubbed his arms, noticing some other things too. His normal white suit had been replaced by a pair of loose-fitting jeans and a tee-shirt. The tee-shirt was obviously Cloud's. It smelled heavily of some type of fabric softener that seemed to try and cover the smell of engine oil.

_Where are my clothes? These are not mine._

A small pair of eyes was looking at him from the end of the bed. He tried to sit up and looked back at them. He opened his mouth to speak, but was promptly cut off by the little girl at the end of the bed.

"TIFA! HE'S UP!" The little girl ran from the room, giggling. Rufus sat still as he watched the little girl go.

"What?" he muttered, swinging his legs around to get up. Wrong idea. He promptly fell back onto the bed, his body racked with pain. He closed his eyes, hoping it was all just a very weird dream.

"Rufus?" He opened his eyes. Reeve was standing over him; he wasn't dreaming.

"Where am I?" Rufus asked. He knew where he was, but he just had to be sure.

"Seventh Heaven," Reeve replied, sitting on the edge of the bed, "Chaos and Vincent brought you here after something happened. Neither of them were very specific." Reeve leaned his back against the wall. "Are you all right? Are you in pain?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Rufus lied. He was getting pretty good at masking his pain, he could see; Reeve believed him. He didn't need this. The last thing he wanted was Reeve to worry about him. He had a high respect for the engineer, secretly treating and thinking of him as a father-like figure, though he never told a soul. "How did you convince the Turks to let me stay here?"

He could tell that Reeve was dreading the question, for he tensed when Rufus had asked it.

"Well, funny story about that…" Reeve started.

"Does it involve Cloud?"

"Um…maybe?" Reeve half-smiled.

"Does it involve Cloud in a dress?"

"No, not that far," Reeve laughed looking at him with the 'how did you know?' face, "but he did have to dress up as someone."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"This isn't going to go well…" Rufus laughed, but was promptly cut off by a body shaking cough. Just the thought of Cloud acting as him made him smile, easing the tension enough for him to ignore the pain he felt. "I hope he's practiced his 'Bastard' routine." Rufus started to try and pull himself out of the bed again, using Reeve for support. If it were anyone else, he would have shrugged off the assistance, but for some reason, Rufus was comforted by Reeve's concern. He would never admit it.

"Reeve, is that bastard up yet? He's like some stupid sleepin' beauty, except he's got the looks of Sephiroth's ass!" Barret yelled from outside the room. Rufus couldn't resist.

"_Mister_ Wallace, how might you know that I look more hideous that Sephiroth's ass unless _you've _seen it," Rufus said in his most sophisticated and intellectual voice, forcing himself to walk as steadily as possible past the once leader of AVALANCHE and to the stairs. He got to the top step before Barret grabbed him the collar of his shirt.

"What was that, you spoiled brat?" Barret hissed, gripping Rufus painfully by the back of the neck.

"I do believe you heard me," Rufus said simply.

"Barret, don't!" Reeve yelled.

Rufus promptly felt himself be pushed forward, the man behind him throwing him down the stairs. He tried to catch himself, but his weak body resisted any type of saving movement. He fell down the entire staircase before he was caught by floor at the bottom. He tried his best to get up, but the pain from the fall coupled with the pain of his previous injuries caused him to just lie unceremoniously on the floor of the bar. Honestly, he felt like he was going to throw up.

"BARRET!" Tifa yelled. "What did I tell you about trying to kill Shinra?"

"Don' do it when Chaos' is around," he yelled back. "Get that lazy bastard out of the stairwell! I ain't dealin' with him no more!"

Tifa walked into the stairwell. Rufus could feel her staring at him, but he was in too much pain to care at the moment. He closed his eyes as he heard someone run down the stair; he assumed it was Reeve. A hand met his shoulder and he felt himself get hoisted up and half carried, half dragged over to a chair. He opened his eyes as Tifa and Reeve took a seat across from him. He closed his eyes and let himself fall forward. His head made a loud thump as it hit the wood below him.

"Rufus, I'm sorry. I should have known Barret would-"

"Reeve, enough. You are not a Turk. You were an executive. You are now the Commissioner of the WRO. It is not _your_ responsibility to ensure _my_ safety," Rufus said, cutting the older man off. He realized his voice was muffled by the table, but he didn't care. He just wanted the pain to stop. The door to the bar opened with a ding.

"The kid dead yet?" Cid inquired as he walked into the bar. Yuffie and Red XIII were close behind him.

"No, but he will be if Barret throws him down the stairs again," Tifa said, shaking her head. Rufus tried to ignore them all, resting his battered body. He knew it was impossible, but he was going to try and ignore the fact that he was now sitting in a room full of his enemies.

_Reno and Rude would laugh at this situation. _

Cid pulled up a chair up to the table for himself, Red XIII sat by Tifa's feet; Cait Sith came out of nowhere and took to Reeve's shoulder, Yuffie sat down at the bar and watched them all. There was another ding, and Vincent walked in, followed closely by his demons. Vincent nodded to Tifa before he, Chaos, and Galian leaned against the wall, farthest from Shinra.

"So, could one of you fine people tell me why I'm here?" Rufus asked after a long moment of silence. He could feel a mixture of glares and stares at his head.

"Yes, in fact, that is what I wished to tell you," Vincent started. "It is safer for you here."

"I'm sorry," Rufus said, "but I find it hard to believe that it is safer _here _than with my _Turks._"

"Why, did something happen?" Chaos asked. His yellow eyes narrowed as Barret and Marlene walked into the sitting area. Rufus looked up from the table at the spectacle unfolding.

"Yeah, Papa threw Mr. Shinra down the staircase!" Marlene said innocently. Chaos' eye became slits as he advanced on Barret.

"You _what_?" Chaos hissed. "You could have _killed_ him. You do not know how much damage you would have done had he died."

"What's you talkin' 'bout? He _fell_…."

He crowded into Barret's space. Vincent started forward. Reeve clearing his throat, motioning with his hand for Chaos to leave Barret alone. Chaos muttered something under his breath before he shoved Barret away and returned to the corner by Vincent.

"Will someone just explain what the hell is going on?" Yuffie yelled.

Vincent started to say something but was promptly cut off by Chaos.

"Anyone say anything and I will tear your tongue from your throat and make you eat it along with your eyeballs. Any questions?" When the room was silent, Chaos began.

"You went Crit, to say the least. Crit, my friends, is short for Critical, and thusly means you lost control. Thinking it would do you good, Vincent and I brought you back to the…_safety_… of Ms. Lockhart's bar. There you go, the last week in a two sentence wrap up," Chaos said, snorting. "I am not doing any more explanations!"

"So, I'm here for my own safety? I hardly think this is the best place for me to be right now," Rufus said, remembering his 'fall' only moments ago. He stood up to walk out of the bar, to find his Turks and true safety, but his legs gave way; he again collapse on the floor.

"Hence another reason you are here," said Galian Beast, "you are still very sick, and no human doctor knows how to treat you. I'll just take you back to a bed." Galian picked the limp Shinra up into his arms and marched back up the stairs, ignoring the weak struggling Rufus made. "Child, you can only rest at this moment."

* * *

Cloud sat on Rufus's bed, studying the room. A book case lined the wall opposite the bed, which connected to a large window that faced the house's back yard. An old grand piano leaned against the wall crookedly, a few feet from the bed next to a pedestal with a vase containing Mako flowers; an art easel faced the window, displaying a semi-completed work of a woman in an ancient-looking dress. What could he say, the room was utterly, disgustingly spotless.

"Ay! Shi! You up?" Reno called from the door. Cloud straightened his hair quickly, clearing his throat.

"What do you need, Reno?" he asked as the Turk walked in the room. Dark Nation followed closely at his heels before jumping onto the bed curled up on the end of the bed, away from Cloud.

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay," Reno said. He stopped when he was right in front of Cloud. He kneeled down so he was level with Cloud's eyes.

"I am fine, Reno. You need not check up on me so often," Cloud said. He did his best to imitate Rufus' speech and dialect. He could only hope it was working.

"I know, bossman, I know. I just worry, ya' know," Reno said. He placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "You were so sick. We almost lost ya, Shi." Before Cloud could say anything, Reno was hugging him, and hugging him, _hard_.

"Wh-what are you doing, Reno," Cloud asked. He tried to shove the Turk away, but he didn't let go. _Was Reno always like this?_

"I know you hate hugs, man, but you really freaked me out. I just have to make sure it's really you. Make sure you're really here…." Reno was silent after that. He held Cloud for a moment longer, then let go. "Sorry, Shi….I just…sorry…"

_What the hell was that?_

"I..umm…Thank you…Reno," Cloud said, patting the Turk on the shoulder. Reno smiled.

"I remember when you were, like, eight, Shi. You used to let us all hug you all the time. Just like a fami-" A clearing of a throat shut the redhead up immediately.

"Tseng," Cloud said, nodding to the Turk leader.

"I am glad to see you awake, Mr. Shinra. I apologize that your rest was _interrupted_." Tseng said, glaring at Reno. Reno jumped to his feet and rushed from the room. He didn't have to be dismissed. Tseng turned away for a moment, closing and locking the bedroom door before coming to stand in front of Cloud, similarly to what Reno had done earlier. He looked at Cloud with dark eyes, as though formulating a plan before he even spoke.

Tseng pushed Cloud back so his back connected with the wall.

"What are you doing, Tseng?" Cloud growled as he tried to push forward. The Turk director had caught him off guard, and now he was in a less than desirable position. Tseng said nothing as he gripped the sides of Cloud's arms, limiting his movement and pinning him back against the wall. He leaned down close to Cloud's ear.

"Where is he?" Tseng asked, breaking his silence.

"Who, Tseng?" Cloud said, trying his best to remain calm and act his part.

"Where is _Rufus_?" Tseng seethed. His hands tightened around Cloud's arms. "Where is _he_?"

"I am right here, Tseng," Cloud shot back.

"Shut up. I _know_ you are not _him_. Give him back to me, _Cloud._" Tseng's voice became strained, as though he was holding back a large amount of rage. Cloud's arms began to ache from the pressure Tseng was placing on them.

"How did you-" Cloud started, but was cut off.

"Know? I've always known, Cloud," Tseng said, smiling.

"What do you mean by that, Tseng? How did you know?" Cloud asked, dropping his façade.

"Well, to start off, your face is too round," Tseng said simply. Cloud noticed the pressure on his arms recede a bit, but not much. Tseng was demonstrating that he was the one in control, not Cloud.

"That's it? Ha, you could have just made that up," Cloud countered.

"I said 'to start off.' Your voice to soft, your commands weak, your direction lacking, your manners barbaric, and your eyes…." Tseng hesitated when he spoke of Rufus' eyes. Tseng shook his head, leaning back, away from Cloud and allowing him to lean forward a few inches, away from the wall. "You could never be Rufus even if your life depended on it, Strife. You could _never_ understand him. Now, where is he?"

"I don't know where he is." Cloud knew what he was setting himself up for. "Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you." Tseng's eyes narrowed as he spoke.

"And why is that, Cloud?" Tseng's voiced dropped to a whisper. Cloud couldn't help but flinch at the words. They reminded him too much of an enemy he wished he could forget.

"You can't protect him anymore. Not alone, at least. There is something about him that you wouldn't understand."

"Try me, Cloud. I _raised_ Rufus. I know _everything_ about him." Tseng's voice was menacing, the words alone seemed to cut into Cloud.

"He is an Ana-" Cloud was again cut off as Tseng gagged him with his hand and slammed his head back into the wall. Cloud's vision spun as his head tried to recover from the abuse Tseng had done.

"Analect Degran? I know that, Cloud. I have single-handily kept him safe from _them_ his entire life. Now _you_ come and insist _I _cannot protect him _now_. I highly doubt that. Rufus is my _life_, Cloud. I will _never_ let anything happen to him _again_." Tseng let go of Cloud and watched as the dazed ex-SOLDIER sank down into the bed. He straightened his tie.

"I suggest you start telling the truth, Strife, or you will be begging for _Chaos_ to come save you. But, for now, you are not _Cloud_ but _Rufus. _The other Turks need not know that Rufus is missing." Tseng left the room, locking the door from the outside.

"Is Tseng always like that?" Cloud asked, pulling himself up to a sitting position. He had never fought Tseng, and now, he was very glad he hadn't. Cloud's arms were practically numb from the extreme amount of pressure Tseng had put on them. No wonder Reno ran when Tseng glared at him.

"Yes, master Tseng has always sounded like he has, how does the humans say it….a stick up his ass?" Dark nation said, giggling. Cloud had to admit, the fact that Dark Nation was _giggling at him_ was slightly unnerving. Cloud tried not to think about it though, instead turning his attention to the room around him. His eyes fell onto the easel. He stood up to examine it.

"Did Shinra make this?" Cloud asked, motioning to the easel. Dark Nation leapt from the bed and nodded.  
"He was working on that one up to your attack, Master Strife," she told. Cloud cocked his head at the painting. The woman, only half completed, was missing her face and most of her left arm. She wore a long white rune embedded Ao Dai with a black dragon and white dragon going up each side and taking to her arms. Her wings were like glass, one side shattered, and the other side whole. Long white hair blew gently into her unfinished face. A long staff was resting against her completed right shoulder. The world behind her resembled the old City of the Ancients.

"It's amazingly realistic. What's it called?" Cloud asked, picking it up from the easel with his free hand.

"It has a beautiful name, Master Strife. _Cominum de li Centre Genovia_," Dark Nation said. Cloud looked up from the painting than back down. The woman had a face now, her lips formed into a straight face. Green eyes glowed from the canvas, a contrast to the blues and purples of the scenery. "The Coming of the Cetra _Jenova_." Cloud screamed, stumbling back, throwing the easel to the floor. In his stumble, he knocked over the bedside table, throwing a book to the floor. The book clattered to the floor; a small paper fell loose from one of the pages.

The woman, _Jenova_, smiled.

* * *

A scream and a clatter sent Tseng running up the stairs. He threw Rufus's door open only to find the 'former President' shaking in the corner of the room, a book and the easel scattered across the floor. He rushed to his side. He knew he had to act; he could hear the other Turks coming up the stairs.

"Rufus? What happened?" Tseng asked, trying to comfort the wide eyed man in front of him. "Rufus?" The other Turks rushed the room, searching for the cause of the disturbance and trying to comfort Cloud.

Tseng and the others were so focused on Cloud that he didn't notice the painting's shadow move slowly before it slipped out the window. The shadow flew fast, away from the house and into the clouds. It perched itself on top of a rain cloud and laughed as thunder rolled.

"Did we, Tneilag and Tsaeb scare you, Analect?" it laughed, splitting itself in two bowing, then fusing once more. "We make a painting dance for you, and you drop it! That's not a very nice thing to do, no it isn't!" The shadow danced across the dark storm cloud, deeply amused.

"This is the most fun we've had in years, yes it is! Isn't it, Tsaeb?" the shadow sang. It split again, the larger split bowing low and laughing manically before fusing again. It looked down at the earth as the rain pelted the dusty surface. "We wonder what our master will want us to do for the _Betrayer's_ next act."

* * *

Rufus sat on Cloud's bed, watching the storm outside intensify. Reeve sat next to him, his hand on his left shoulder. Rufus's eyes were downcast, reading and re-reading a paper in his hand.

"I know you're truly grateful of Cloud and the others for helping you right now, even if you don't want to show it," Reeve said. "Why are you sad, though?"

"You know very well that I don't care for sympathy," Rufus said coldly. "I need not to be coddled." Reeve laughed.

"That you don't. Sorry, I just wanted to help an old friend." Reeve stood and walked to the window. "It's this rain. You always get this way in the rain."

"Yes, you are right," Rufus said, looking up from the paper. He held it out to Reeve. "On this paper are the words of my father, the _real _one, before he was murdered. He said these words, the same words my grandfather said before he committed suicide to save my mother. They all died in rain or before it began. Maybe that's what I'm fated to die in to. Maybe….I'm afraid, Reeve. No, never mind. I am _never_ afraid." Reeve took the paper and read it to himself.

_In this world of Disbelief, a man stands mourning in his grief. He takes a weapon to his head, and with a smile, joins the dead. _

Reeve read the paper over and over, his stomach turning. Rufus looked at the back of the paper, and then looked at Reeve.

"Did you read the back?" he asked. Reeve looked up, and then shook his head no. He turned the paper over and stared at the line scribbled quickly as a last attempt message on the death note.

"What's it mean?" Reeve asked, passing the paper back. Rufus folded it and placed it back into his pocket. The lights flickered.

"I wish I knew," Rufus muttered. Gun shots echoed in his head from his mother's murder. He turned the paper over in his pocket. "I wish I knew…"

_Why did Rain turn to Acid?_

* * *

A/n. Will work on the next few chapters soon. I realize that they don't make much sense anymore...sorry


	10. Chapter Nine: Rain to Acid

Chapter Nine: Rain to Acid

_A quiet eternity, a never-ending silence, that rips at ones soul until the end of time Isn't it funny how much pain you feel after you die?_

_-Exert from __Linger__ by Aros Shinra; Former President of Shinra Manufacturing _

Rufus stared at Tifa across the bar; the rest of AVALANCHE was out helping Reeve with the WRO.

"Your food's going to get cold if you don't eat it," Tifa said. These were the first words Rufus had heard out of her all day, besides the yelling at Barret for leaving her alone with him. She finally had calmed down when Vincent promised to come back early, or at least send one of his demons here to comfort her. To Rufus, he couldn't see which of the options were better. In case one, she'd have an undead ex-Turk to comfort her, but in the latter, she'd have to deal with one of his psychotic demons. Which was worse? Either way, she's getting a demon.

"I don't eat a lot, normally," Rufus replied, pushing the plate from his body.

"No wonder you're so fail and tiny," Tifa muttered, taking the plate. She tossed the whole thing, plate, silverware and all, into the trash. Obviously, she didn't want to deal with his _germs_. He pushed back from the bar, swinging around off the stool and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Tifa asked, looking at him with sour eyes.

"On a walk," he replied simply. "My appearance, since I am borrowing some of Cloud's old clothing, is extremely altered, and I'm going to wear a hat, so you don't have to worry about me being noticed. _Thank you _for the concern, _Ms. Lockhart_." He walked out the door, ignoring her glaring eyes with a simple smile.

As he walked away, Tifa noted how scripted his words were to her. Almost as though he had said them before; many, _many_ times before.

* * *

The glaring sun woke him; it bled through his eyelids onto his sensitive, Mako-enhanced eyes. He opened his eyes a little, adjusting to the fading light. It was dusk.

_When did I black out?_

He looked around the Rufus' room without lifting his head. Everything was back to normal. Someone had righted the bedside table and picked up the easel. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder, as though someone was trying to comfort him, but not wake him up.

"I wonder if he's feeling better," Tseng muttered. His voice was hushed.

Cloud's eyes glanced back at the easel, then to the floor.

"Maybe we should have waited to pull him out of the hospital." It was Elena's voice. Cloud looked around again, without moving his head, to see Rude over in the corner, looking back at him. Elena was sitting in a chair she had brought up from the dining room, and Reno was leaning against the door.

"He's fine," Reno said, "probably just some nightmare. He gets them all the time."

"Yeah, but….you never know…" Elena muttered. Cloud saw Rude start to fidget.

"Don't worry, guys, Shi's fine," Reno pressed.

"And how are you so sure, Reno?" Tseng asked, standing. Reno shrugged.

"He looks fine to me," Reno said simply.

"Yeah, and now he's _perfectly _fine! Magically! Poof, he's fine!" Tseng hissed. Elena threw her hands in the air.

"Just because you say he's fine, Reno, doesn't mean he is!" she said.

"You can't just deduce things that you have no idea about!" Tseng added.

"Coming from the guy who doesn't believe Shi half the time he confronts him about something. Do you see why he trusts me more that you?" Reno growled.

"Trusts you? He doesn't _trust _you, Reno. He doesn't trust anyone. He never has! I raised him, and he doesn't even _trust me_. I just think Rufus wants to toy with you! All this talk about jumping off buildings and living, and flying with wings! Ha! I think he's playing a game with all of us! He's said these things before, Reno. We ignored it, we didn't fuel the flames, and he stopped. It's just like a child. Fuel their anger, and they make it worse. He's just doing this for attention!"

"So you don't believe he's an-"

"Analect Degran or whatever it's called? No! Of course not! He's just doing this for attention, like the last time he talked about this!" Tseng yelled. So _much for not trying to wake me…_Cloud thought. It was odd, though. Tseng's voice sounded strained; Cloud knew from earlier that Tseng was lying…but then Reno….

"I have no idea what you two are yelling about now, but maybe Reno's right," Elena said.

"Stay out of this," Tseng growled. Elena backed off.

"Hey, let her know! Hey everyone! Rufus is the Analect Degran! He can fly; bring back people from the dead, and other cool things!" Reno shouted. "And did you forget, _Tseng_, that I helped raise Rufus too? Sure, you did most of it, but I helped too, ya know!" Rude clenched his fists.

_What is with them. Tseng….and Reno…this sounds…so…rehearsed._

"Shut up, RENO!" Tseng screamed. "He's just playing his stupid game!"

"It's the truth, Tseng, and you know it!"

_They have done this before…and Reno know something….Reno…how much does he know?_

"SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!" Rude yelled, throwing everyone into silence. He was panting, his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses. "How do we know this is a lie, Tseng? Do you have any proof?" Tseng began to stutter something about it not being physically possible, when Rude cut him off.

"If it's not physically possible, then how did Sephiroth summon the Meteor, or Hojo use Weiss to massacre people to create Omega? How do you know?" Tseng was silent. Rude only shook his head. "How about you go ask him?"

"What do you mean?" Tseng said.

"When Rufus gets up, ask him," Rude said, leaving the room. Reno nodded.

"I bet he's awake right now, actually. We were yellin' pretty loudly," Reno said, leaving.

"Rude, wait! What are you saying?" Tseng asked, running out of the room. Elena stayed behind. She walked over to the bed. Cloud closed his eyes and pretended to mummer in his 'sleep.'

"Don't worry, Rufus. No matter what you say or think, I'll believe you," she said, lightly caressing the side of face. Cloud allowed his eyelids to flutter before opening them slightly to look at the rookie Turk. Elena quickly pulled back her hand, flushing.

"Ge-get some rest, Sir. You haven't fully recovered," she said quickly. "I….I have to go keep my boyfri-I me, the boss from killing Reno. I'll come get you when dinner is ready." Cloud didn't even have a chance to blink before she was gone from the room.

_What the hell just happened?_

* * *

A calm wind blew over the remnants of Midgar, picking up dust and small pieces of debris. Chaos balanced effortlessly on a long I-beam, waiting. He turned the Proto Materia over in his hand, almost like a stress ball; the cracks that he had created earlier had been repaired.

"Wait long?" asked a mortal below him.

"Ms. Lockhart hold you back?" Chaos mused, smiling. Rufus Shinra, dressed in some of Cloud's old blue jeans, some sort of graphic tee-shirt, and black hat, looked up at him from the ground below…or, correctly, the bits of the plate that still remained. Human destruction fascinated the old demon; it never tired to him…and always disgusted him.

"She was complaining about me not eating my breakfast," Shinra said, climbing up so he could be at least eye to eye with Chaos.

"I wonder why she'd care, Master Shinra," Chaos muttered, stretching his long wings. "It matters not, though, my good friend." He glanced at the mortal as Rufus stifled a laugh; good friends they weren't…or at least, not yet.

"You have an interesting point, Cha!" cackled a voice. Rufus looked up, startled, but Chaos already knew he was there.

"Galian! Come down! Keep us company!" Chaos laughed. Galian Beast stuck his head out from beyond a rubble pile and hopped down to join Chaos.

"Pleasure to meet you Master Shinra… Aros, right? Or is it Feymos?" Galian Beast said, extending a hand to shake. Rufus hesitated at the mention of his father and grandfather.

"Pleasure…but my name is Rufus," he said simply, shaking Galian's hand. "Feymos is my father, and Aros is my grandfather. May both rest in peace…" _For they both lay in peaces…_thought Rufus.

"I'm…sorry….I have my issues remembering offspring…I'm just scatterbrained like that," Galian said apologetically.

"It is alright," Rufus said. "Do you remember our agreement?" He looked back at Chaos and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket; it was the same one that Reeve had read earlier. Chaos took it, reading the words.

"I remember this," he whispered. Rufus couldn't tell if Chaos meant he remembered the agreement or the words on the paper. It bothered him.

"Could you go to Tseng's house and get the poem from the box on the top shelf of my bookcase. Scratch that, just bring the whole box. And maybe my easel too…God only knows what Cloud has done to my things."

"Love too. I wanted to see how Cloud was doing anyway," Chaos said, bowing. "It seems, however, one of your guardians has figured out that you are not there."

"That would probably be Tseng," Rufus said, nonchalantly. Chaos laughed.

He spread his long wings and lifted from the beam. "Galian, escort Shinra back to Tifa's!"

"You got it, Cha!" Galian yelled, waving. Chaos saw Rufus nod a thank you and begin his walk back to Edge. Chaos looked to the sky.

"_How much longer will we be able to hold out, Genovia?"_

* * *

Cloud was drawn back to reality by a tapping on the window. He put the book he was reading (Rufus's diary from when he was nine- he had really good handwriting for such a young kid) down on the bedside table and walked to the window. He jumped back a bit when he saw Chaos brooding there.

"Why the hell are you brooding outside my window?" he whispered. Chaos floated past him and settled into the room's only chair.

"One, it's not _your _window, and two, I have a pick up. None of this, however, pertains to you," Chaos said coolly, and then in a creepily gleeful voice, he asked "how are you?"

"Fine….why do you ask?" Cloud said, plopping down on the bed.

"Just wondering. And might I add that _white_ isn't your color," Chaos laughed. Cloud glared at him. "But in all seriousness, I am only here to pick up a few things for the real Rufus." Cloud rolled his eyes.

"Look at this, Shinra even had the Demon Lord on a leash!" Cloud said, throwing his arms in the air.

"Shut up Cloud," Chaos warned, retrieving the box from the top shelf. He also picked up the easel.

"I wouldn't take those paintings…" Cloud muttered. Chaos looked back at Cloud.

"Why not?"

"They're haunted," Cloud stated. Chaos shook his head.

"I think I can handle it, Cloud." Chaos smiled back at the ex-SOLDIER calmly and took off into the morning sky.

Cloud watched Chaos go, lightly offset by the demon's attitude. Something was up. He stood up and stretched, just now noticing a piece of paper on the floor, next to the bed stand. He picked it up and looked it over. All the paper said was:

_Second from the door, seven up, seven right, behind the big, green bound book._

Cloud looked it over for more words, but found none. He recognized the handwriting as Rufus'. It was similar to that of the writing in the diary. He decided to see what was behind the green book. He went to the far end of the bookcase and found the book second from the door, then counted seven up, seven right, and found the green bound book. He pulled it out and looked at the empty space. All there was in the space was an old black book. He pulled it out, reading the faded gold written cover. _Linger__, by Aros Shinra _it read. Cloud flipped through the book, stopping on and off to look at photos and hand drawn pictures. He paused at a family tree, looking at the names written in the author's clean and precise writing; all expect for Rufus's name, which had been written in by another. Cloud flipped the page to see Aros's writing, along with someone else's note added in at the bottom.

_"Dear Father in Law Aros," _read the added note, _"I hope you didn't mind me adding little Rufus's name to your magnificent book. He wanted to write his name in, bless the little boy, but I don't think either of us would have been able to read his six month old handwriting. He said your name today. Sounded something like 'a rose' but I knew he meant you. All is well, and we miss you down here. Rest in peace you happy go lucky fool. Lilly sends her love. Laugh it up in the life stream for us!_

_Yours truly,_

_Feymos"_

Cloud flipped back a page to see where Feymos lined up on the family tree, shocked to see that he was Rufus's father.

_What?_

He had always thought that Akito was his father, because that was what Reeve told AVALANCHE. He found Aros's name too; he was Rufus's grandfather. He thought it odd that Feymos had written the note as though Aros, long time dead as of some of the other notes he had read from other entries of relatives, could read it. He continued flipping through the book until he came across a few poems. It was the last page of the book. Cloud read them aloud.

"_In this world of Disbelief, a man stands mourning in his grief. He takes a weapon to his head, and with a smile, joins the dead._" Cloud glanced up from the book. The sky had turned a dark shade of grey, the wind began to howl, and rain began to pelt the ground. He looked back at the book and began to read the second poem.

* * *

Rufus looked up through the window at the darkened sky. He felt ill, his body was cold, shaking beyond control. Something bad was happening. He just could hope that Cloud wasn't being pulled into something he tried to hide. All he could do was hope.

"Cloud, I hope you don't read _it_…" Rufus muttered. Even as he said this, Rufus knew it was too late. He ran to the roof, throwing the door open; running into the windy rain. It beat against his marred skin, burning him. Rufus screamed, his voice changing like the weather around him.

He let the Analect loose.

"STAY A WAY FROM CLOUD, OMEGA!"

* * *

"_Rain to Acid, by Aros Shinra. _

"_When did Rain turn to Acid? When did its healing drops become Infected? When did its soothing drops turn Hurtful? When did Rain turn to Acid? _

"_When did Acid begin to Fall? When did it cascade onto this beautiful Planet? When did it destroy this only Reality? When did Acid begin to Fall?_

_ "When did rain become Harmful? When did it start to decay our Flesh? When did it burn out plants to Nothing? When did rain become Harmful?_

_ "When did Acid engulf the Light? When did Sun disappear beyond the Clouds? When did it break the Façade? When did Acid engulf the Light?" _ A hollow laugh followed by thunder took hold of Cloud's attention. The book was taken from his hands. Cloud looked in awe at the man holding the book in front of him. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a black/silver marking under his left eye. His clothing was all black, expect for the white cross that hung around his neck. He was semi-transparent.

"_When did Rain become Harmful? When did Acid begin to Fall? When did Acid engulf the Light? When did Rain turn to Acid?_" the man read. He looked up at Cloud, shutting the book. "_Why did Rain turn to Acid?_" he finished. Cloud backed up.

"Wh-who?" Cloud stammered, looking back at the man. The man took a low bow.

"Isn't if funny how _Death Isn't Always the Finale?_" Cloud felt his blood run cold.

The rain stopped.

_And acid began to fall_.

* * *

I'm having too much fun re-writing this...I hope you all like it better.


	11. Chapter Ten: Cold Blood

Chapter Ten: Cold Blood, Still Heart

Reeve looked up at the darkening sky; the weather was upsetting him. Never had the Midgar area had so many storms in such a short period of time, not even during the Jenova, Remnant, and Omega crisis. He shook his head and saw that he wasn't the only one to notice the odd weather; many others of Edge had confronted him earlier that very day about it.

"Commissioner!" He turned to see one of his new recruits to the WRO running toward him.

"Hime, how are you?" The recruit stopped breathlessly beside him.

"Did, gasp, you see it?" Hime asked, pointing franticly to the sky. Reeve looked up.

"See what?"

"The angel?" Reeve looked Hime straight in the eyes.  
"What?" Hime was taken aback by the fear and anger in Reeve's voice.

"There….sir…was an angel, I think…or it could have been one of Mr. Valentine's friends…I'm not sure, but it flew off toward the remains of Sector Seven and…Wait! Commissioner!" Reeve didn't stay around to let Hime finish; he had already began to run toward the Sector Seven ruins. He couldn't hide his fear. The day in Akito's office so many years ago was happening all over again.

* * *

Cloud sat motionless on the ground staring at the thirty year old, decked out in a white and black suit (sound familiar?) ghost, and the ghost was staring back at him. No, not staring, examining. It was this fact that led Cloud to the thought of not being able to figure out who was more terrified, him or the ghost.

Neither of them noticed Dark Nation slip out the door and down the stairs.

"Well, ain't that somethin'!" the ghost said after a long while. "I really thought for a second there that you were my grandson!" The ghost pushed his black cloak behind him and held out his transparent hand to Cloud.

"Wait…did you say…_grandson_?" Cloud asked.

"Yessir, I did," the ghost said, laughing. "And taking by your face, you have no idea who I am. Well, laddie, I am Aros Shinra. Pleasure is mine. I'm sorry, sonny, what did you say your name was?"

"I didn't…my name is Cloud." He took Aros' hand, surprised by the fact that it was tangible.

"Cloud? Like the Strife? So your Zel's boy*! Sorry for the confusion. I need to talk to my grandson. By any chance do you know where he is at this current moment?" Aros asked, smiling. He pulled Cloud to his feet.

"N-no, not really, sir." Cloud didn't know where his manners came from, but it might have had something to do with the fact that he was talking to a dead man… literally.

"Sir? No, I'm Aros. 'Sir' is for old people!" Aros laughed. "So, is there anyone else in this house that might have an idea where Sufur is?"

"There are others in….wait….Sufur?" Cloud said in confusion. "Who's-"

"Sorry…you didn't hear that. I meant Rufus."

"Um…I don't think anyone here knows where he is," Cloud replied. He logged the name "Sufur" in the back of his mind.

"Well, that's no good! How 'bout I go ask them?" Aros exclaimed, walking toward the door.

"Wait! I don't think that they would be very comfortable talking to you!"

"Poppycock! I'll ask!"

"But, sir!" Cloud yelled, rushing forward to stop the specter. He slid to a surprising halt seeing that Aros had stopped all movement. He was looking at the sky.

"Shit…." Aros muttered. He looked then at Cloud, holding out his transparent hand. "I know where Sufur is. Come with me." There it was again, _Sufur_.

"But," Cloud started. "We can't just leave…what about the Turks?"

"He has Turks too? Lovely! Good to know he kept that tradition! But, there is no time, come now!" Aros' voice was cold, like ice…like Rufus. Cloud took his hand, no longer frightened or surprised by its tangibility. The instant the two bodies touched, the room vanished, and the world faded white. All they heard was the sound of a man screaming…

…and a woman _laughing_.

* * *

"…_cold…"_

Tseng walked up the stairs, holding a platter with 'Rufus'' food. He was worried; Cloud had not been eating much.

"Maybe I was too hard on him…" _I mean, Cloud isn't used to me as Rufus is…_ Tseng muttered to himself. He balanced the tray on his left arm as he opened the door to Rufus' room. He was greeted by a cold draft.

"Mr. Shinra, I brought you some…." He stopped half way into to the room. No one was there. He set the tray on the small study table and ran to the window. It was still bolted shut. He examined it to see that the sensors that he set up were all still set.

"But I felt a draft," he said. _Where is Cloud?_

"Ay Tseng! How's Shi?" Reno yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

"Is he down there?" Tseng yelled back. "He's not in his room." He turned to the door to go to Reno when he stopped suddenly. He looked over his right shoulder at Rufus' easel. It was blank.

"Huh, I could have sworn that he had started a painting there," he said, touching the canvas. He turned back to the door, still looking at the blank portrait. He was shocked when he bumped into someone.

"And you were saying that I was the one with depth perception problems," said a cold voice. Tseng swung around to Rufus staring back at him, rubbing his arm.

"Cloud? Where were you?" Tseng said. He was taken aback by the person in front of him. It was….Rufus? The real one?

"Cloud? Why on Gaia would you think I was _Cloud_," Rufus said. He gazed questionably into Tseng's eyes.

"Cloud was…you were...Where _were_ you, Rufus?" Tseng asked, reaching out to touch the younger man. _Was it really him?_

"Relax, Tseng. That doesn't matter." Rufus pushed past him, brushing Tseng off like he was nothing. Like he was not even there. He walked to the window. "On that note, why is my window bugged? Did you think I would jump out of it or something?" Rufus laughed.

"Well, actually, yes…" Tseng said. Rufus stopped laughing.

"Whatever do you mean?" Tseng looked confusingly at the former president.

"You don't mean that all this talk about you jumping off the Shinra building is a-"

"-beautifully created lie. Yes," Rufus said, leaning against the window.

"But your sickness…"

"I bribed the doctor into saying I was sick. Pretty cool, eh? Money goes a long way in this world." Tseng twitched.

_He's lying…or he doesn't remember. He never used to remember his transformations….maybe his mind has altered the memory again…_

Tseng decided to try and play along. He didn't want to confuse or harm his young charge any more that he had already.

_Lest that happen again…_

"You lied about all of this? Why?"

"Because I think it's fun," Rufus replied smugly. He walked from the window and put his hand on Tseng's shoulder. "This is all in your head." Tseng looked his boss in the eyes….something was off. The Rufus in front of him was perfect.

…_His eyes…_

"I think you should lie down. This is probably a lot to take in."

His left eye was….green?

Too _perfect…_

"Yes, I think you should take a nice, _long_, sleep."

"You're not Rufus…" Tseng said, reaching for his gun. The sound of a cylinder locking into place made him stop; a gun was positioned onto his right temple. His eyes locked onto the face of what once portrayed his boss, but now showed a grotesque figure.

"Of course not, my good human. But don't worry; he will be joining you soon."

The creature smiled a fang filled smile; blood dripped from pearl white teeth.

A gunshot echoed throughout the house.

* * *

"…_cold… blood…"_

The cool air of the Sector Seven ruins was stale with blood. Reeve held himself in place, unmoving, terrified. Before him were the mangled and deformed corpses of fifty DG soldiers; they had been torn to pieces, their blood used as paint across the ruins. Intestines hung from broken I-beams, stomachs from window panes. A DG commander's head was impaled on a broken train rail, and his brains hung over his missing left eye, this among much more gruesome things. Reeve did his best not to throw up.

"What… the…" Reeve murmured, afraid that he would wake the beast that had held the massacre.

He walked close to the wall, hand touching it at all times. He kept his eyes straight, trying his best to ignore the entrails, still beating hearts, lung sacks, arteries, and nerve cords strung out around him.

"_Cold…blood…still…"_

"Not very pretty, eh?" Reeve looked over his left shoulder, shocked.

"Cloud?" he said, slightly confused, "and friend…" Sure enough, there stood Cloud, slightly dizzy, hair gelled down and dressed in Rufus' suit, and an unknown man dressed in a similar Shinra fashion….and he was semi-transparent.

"Hi there, mate! Name's Aros!" Aros said, holding his hand out to Reeve. Reeve just looked at it.

"Are you…"

"Dead? Yep!" Aros replied happily, "and it seems my grandson got a bit out of hand." He pointed to a body draped over a ledge that was missing its left arm, right foot, part of its head, and its brains were hanging out, attached by the nerve cord. "Ha! He's a natural!"

Reeve turned to Cloud with a look of question. "Grand…son?"

Cloud simply mouth back a simple "tell you later."

"I'm looking for Rufus," Reeve said to Cloud.

"Really?" Aros said, "us….well, mostly me, I just dragged this laddie here for fun, are looking for him too."

"Well….maybe we should split up?" Cloud offered. He figured he might as well help out, since Aros didn't seem to want to let go of him anytime soon. He looked motion sick.

"That's a wonderful idea, blondie! You and I can look over by the old church, and you, master….?"

"Reeve. Reeve Tuesti"

"Master Tuesti, can keep going on here. We should be able to find him quickly," Aros planned.

"I'll call you if I find anything, Cloud," Reeve added. "We can meet back at Tifa's if we can't find anything."

"Good luck, Reeve," Cloud said.

"Best of luck to you too."

* * *

It was a black world stained red. The farther Reeve went, the more carnage there was. Pools of blood were everywhere, some had eyes in them, and others just had debris. Every so often there was a scream, but it would always go quiet. He'd often stop on these occasions and phone Cloud, but thankfully, he and his undead friend were alright. It was as though the world had shut this part of Midgar out, blocked it from light completely. The only thing that could break it was…

Reeve's head shot up; there, on an island surrounded by de-boned, de-intestined bodies sat the 'angel' Hime had mentioned. His white boots were drenched in blood and his long ashen wings stained crimson at the tips, but the rest of his white body and clothing was immaculate. White tentacle-like spikes hung down out of his arms. His eyes were lifeless. He was looking down at his bloody hands; they were shaking.

"Ru-Rufus?" Reeve stuttered. The white figure looked up; he smiles a solemn smile. A single crimson tear fell from his eye.

"Reeve," he muttered, and then he held a finger to his lips, "please don't tell…"

_Just like that day in the office…_

"I-I won't tell, R-Rufus," Reeve promised.

_Just like before…just like always…I will never tell. I will never tell…who killed him…_

"_Cold blood…still…"_

Rufus glided toward him, landing three feet from him. Another tear fell…but they weren't really tears…

_What were they?_

"I won't let Omega hurt Cloud….don't tell," Rufus muttered. He began to fall forward; Reeve caught him before he hit the ground. Rufus tried to pushed himself up and held the wall.

_He is too weak. His body is rejecting the transformation…just like Chaos said it would. _

"Rufus! What do you mean…" Reeve stopped as Rufus began to scream.

"Tseng! Tseng! Why Tseng! Why him? Damn you, Omega!" He beat the wall with his fists, shattering it like glass.

The sky rumbled with thunder; lightning struck in the distance.

"DAMN YOU!" More thunder, louder this time.

"What do you…" Reeve muttered, but Rufus had fallen into unconsciousness.

_...I will never tell you how your Father died…_

* * *

"_Cold blood, still heart…"_

Reeve looked up, and a grotesque shadow smiled back. It held up a limp body by its head.

_Tseng! _

The shadow laughed, displaying the blood-spattered Turk as a trophy.

_Tseng…oh my gods…he's still conscience._

Tseng looked weakly at Reeve, then to Rufus. He raised his hand, as though he was reaching toward Rufus, as though Rufus would save him. Tseng tried to speak, but the monster pulled up hard on his head before slamming his head into the ground, effectively silencing the lead Turk.

"Tell Genovia's son to come, our masters have a beautiful gift for him!" It cackled, throwing Tseng's blood-spattered communicator and a note attached to it at Reeve and was gone.

"_Cold blood, still heart…now wait and see the world…fall apart._

_Oh Genovia, oh light, oh my Love,_

_Please, send your help from Above."_

* * *

Zel's boy*- Zel Strife, fictional ex-Turk, father of Cloud, and best friend to Vincent Valentine. He is seen in my sister, Jynx Tsilevon's stories.

* * *

Hehehe...almost caught up...hehehe. I am such a sadistic freak...


	12. Chapter Eleven: Ticking

A/n The plot thickens...again. I suck, sorry. :) Yes, I did change this chapter too. Less OOC, more depression. Finally, everything is updated! Now, on to the new material...

Once again, I don't own 'em.

Chapter Eleven: Genovia

* * *

The Turks were in shambles; Elena would not stop crying, Reno had drained their liquor cabinet and was out to get more, and Rude had broken his silent ways to try and comfort Elena. They had been this way since Tifa, Cloud, and Barret had gone and gotten them from Tseng's house.

All Tifa could do is watch. She, Denzel, and Marlene were alone in the bar with the Turks, her old enemies; the rest of AVALANCHE had split up into small groups and were now looking for Tseng or investigating. She remembered how offset Chaos was when Reeve had said that it was a demon who took Tseng….and how it had asked for Rufus.

_Why is all of this happening? Why can't we just have a moment of peace? _Tifa sighed.

She looked at Elena; she could only imagine what the blonde Turk was going through. She figured that losing Tseng was like her losing Cloud. She had to get her mind off of it.

"I'm going to check on Rufus," Tifa said to Rude. Rude nodded and looked back at Elena. Both of them were hoping Elena would take the bait. She did.

"I'm coming too," Elena said, standing.

"If you want to, you can."

"I have to, Tifa. Someone has to make sure _Rufus_ is okay," Elena said. It felt like Elena secretly blamed Rufus for what had happened, and part of Tifa felt that maybe it was. Rude cleared his throat.

"I'll watch the kids," he said simply. Tifa nodded and waved goodbye to Rude, Marlene, and Denzel, before walking out the door with Elena in tow.

Rufus was staying, if you could call it that, at a friend of Chaos' house, or in other words, a _demon's_ house, for his protection. That information did not settle well with either the Turks or AVALANCHE_. _Tifa was still trying to process that fact that there were more…_things_…like Chaos walking around the planet unnoticed. She had become slightly paranoid over the last few days, to say the least. Judging by the faces of the other members of the gang, she wasn't the only one.

The safe house was located in Kalm. Tifa thought this was a little sketchy, and she wasn't the only one, but despite Vincent "kindly" asking him to stop talking through him, Chaos had insisted, for it was in Rufus's _best interest._ At this point, Tifa had no idea what was in Shinra's best interest, and she didn't care; she was only worried about Cloud and how she could protect _him_.

And if Cloud wanted to help Shinra, than she would too, but she only thought Cloud was helping Shinra because he brought him back to life.

That was the _only _reason she could think of.

* * *

_He stood on a black marble floor with a large yellow spiral in a room with no doors. All four of the neon green and orange spiraled walls were covered with clocks, all ticking backwards. In front of him was a solitary sea foam green chair, and next to the chair was a bright purple tea cart with gold and silver tea set on top, accented by bright red napkins, and a pink spoon. Behind the chair were many strangely colored stuffed animals. In a way, the room was like a demented child's play room._

"_If this is someone's cruel idea of a joke, it's giving me a head ache," Rufus muttered, holding his head. He walked around the room, taking it all in. The room gave him a grotesque feeling, but in the same way, it comforted him, as though he had been here before, many times. _

"_You mean you don't like it here anymore? But you used to love it here."said a disgustingly sweet voice. Rufus turned around, looking calmly for the voice. It was coming from the chair; in the once empty chair sat a woman with pearl silver hair and a long dull- white dress. She looked about his age._

"_Who designed this place? They deserve to get shot." Rufus said, shaking his head. The woman laughed. _

"_Why, you did, Rufus, and you have already been shot…many times, actually," the woman giggled. The way she talked, it was comforting, inviting…seductive…disgusting. Rufus couldn't help but laugh along with her. _

"_So, I take it we know each other," Rufus inquired by her using his first name._

"_Yes, darling, we have, but I don't think you would remember me. So much has happened since we last spoke. It is not your fault you cannot remember. Allow me to re-introduce myself," the woman said, standing. He looked at her; she looked so familiar, yet not. She held out her hand to him. He took it and kissed it like a gentleman. _

"_I'm Lady Genovia Centara Nalmai Shi-Ra," she said with a slight head bow. She took her seat again. The room around them began to fade away into a dark oblivion._

"_But you, my child, can call me Jenova."_

_The room faded away completely, and all was black. _

"_And you are my son."_

* * *

_He lay on his stomach on cold metal table, his head turned so his left cheek pressed into metal. Something warm was resting on his right cheek. A dull pain pulsed through his body, but it was mainly coming from his exposed back. He tried to move, but his body was bound to the table and heavily sedated. He tried to speak but found he could not due to a feeding tube. He noticed that IVs and tube were jutting out of his body, most likely keeping him alive._

_What happened?_

_He could hear voices around him, but they were hushed and he couldn't understand them through the sedation. He tried to open his heavy eyes._

"_He's…wake…" a voice said. _

"_Impossible…coma…train…"another said. This voice sounded familiar. _

_Train?_

"_Spine…concussion…impossible," added third voice. _

"…_Three months…but…waking…" the first voice said. It sounded familiar too. "He's stronger…I imagined….ten years old…"_

"_No, it is impossible… physically…scarred…pain…he's…dead," the second voice insisted. "Not…false readings." The sedation was wearing off. The conversation was becoming clear to him. The warmth left his right cheek. Rufus felt his body start to shiver, the dull pain began to grow._

"_They are…readings! His body…responding to…transfer…" the first voice shot back. It was low and menacing…just like…_

…_Sephiorth?…Was the first voice…Sephiroth?_

"_He is __**not **__responding!" hissed the second voice. He recognized this voice now too. It was Professor Hojo. "He is dead. No one … survived that. Not even you!"_

"…_General…right…There are signs of life…" the third voice said. _

_Whose voice was that?_

"_Look at the signs, Professor. He's still there," Sephiroth's voice was calm, but strained. _

_Why is he defending me? _

"_Impossible!" Hojo yelled. Hojo's voice cut through the sedation roughly. It echoed in his head, causing the pain to escalate further. A hand was at his side quickly after; removing what Rufus could only imagine was the IV that was sedating him. The numbness of his body began to fade away quickly. He tried to close his mouth, biting into the feeding tube to try to keep from crying out. He gagged._

"_Professor!" _

"_Wha-" Sensors began the screech around his body; the noise was deafening. The sedation was all but gone now; the pain hit him like a…_

…_Train…_

_I…was hit by a train…_

_I was hit by a train…and…_

_**He**__ pushed me…_

* * *

Valgoré walked calmly up the stairs with Rufus' food and medicine. He was hoping that Rufus would actually be awake today, let alone eat. The man had been completely unresponsive the first day he was brought to Valgoré's care, and it didn't get much better from there. The most resent interaction with the former president was not pleasant. After ingesting the most minuscule amount of food Valgoré had ever seen, the man proceeded to vomit and dry heave for three hours before passing out from exhaustion and dehydration.

Needless to say, he was not surprised to see the young man curled up on the bedroom floor, convulsing. Valgoré set the tray down on a small side table and crouched next to the twitching form. The man's eyes were blank, rolled back in his skull. His arms were wrapped tightly around his chest, his knees pulled close. His mouth hung open slightly, saliva pooling around his face.

"Ser?" Valgoré said quietly. He gently touched Rufus' shoulder. His body was drenched in sweat. Other than a slight shudder, there was no response from the young man. Valgoré gently pulled the trembling man into his arms, resting the man's head on his shoulder.

"You remember something, don't you?" Valgoré expected no response. He leaned down so his mouth was at the shell of Rufus' ear.

"_Does it hurt?"_

* * *

"So, this is the place?" Tifa asked Elena, staring at the all too normal-looking house_._

_If there truly was a demon living here_, Tifa thought, _shouldn't look more like some horror film_. Then again…they hadn't even entered the house yet.

"Yeah, this is it. Reno showed me before he…left," Elena said, knocking on the door. Tifa half expected to hear a scream somewhere from within the house or some other childish, horror story typical thing of a demon's house, but there was nothing expect the thumping of someone running down a stair case from within.

She stood back a full step as the door swung inward. Shock came over her when the person who greeted her was a normal looking, tall, neatly dressed gentleman, and not a thing that looked grotesque like Chaos did. He must have noticed her stun, for he simply smiled and bowed low.

"You must be Tifa."

"You're the man from the bar…" she said. She knew he looked familiar.

"Why, yes, I am. I…do realize that I do not resemble the _average_ Degra, I prefer the humanistic touch," the red haired demon said, holding out his hand. Tifa took it gingerly, praying to the Life Stream that he wouldn't kiss it. He did.

"So, Human is an _art style_ to you demons?" Tifa said.

"One could say that…and we are _Degra_, not _Demons_." To Tifa, he sounded almost as though she had insulted him.

"Don't care what you two are talking about. Where's Rufus?" interjected Elena.

"Oh, yes, my apologies," the Degra said. "He's upstairs to the-" Elena was already in the house and up the stairs before he was half way through his sentence.

"Which side, right or left?" she yelled down.

"On the right, miss Elan-" This time, a door slam cut him off. "My, she's in a hurry. She will be disappointed to know that he isn't conscience at the moment. Come in for tea?" It surprised Tifa that he could brush off Elena like that. Wasn't he even suspicious of them being Oni, like Chaos had warned all of AVALANCHE about.

"Thanks," Tifa said, walking into the house, "I would love some tea, Mr.-"

"Ra Valgoré," he said, following her in. "Earl Gray or Green?"

* * *

…_A clock ticks in the distance…_

Vincent examined the gore-splattered land in front of him, ignoring his instincts to run. Thunder rolled. Reeve sat, pale, on the only un-bloodied place in the area, looking down at the ground. Vincent noticed how scared Reeve was. He understood what the man was feeling though, because even he, emotionless Vincent Valentine, was unnerved by the sight around him. He was more unnerved, however, about Chaos' reaction.

_And to think a __**human**__ did this…what if I had done all this?_

"Reeve, you can go back to the bar if you are not comfortable here," he said. Reeve looked up and gave him a weak smile.

"I-I'm fine…." He said, and then added, to himself, but Vincent heard it, "I thought I would be used it by now…" Vincent didn't want to press him on what he meant, but he felt he could try.

"Would you like to-"

"No," Reeve said simply.

_"This is much worse than I anticipated…"_ Chaos said inside Vincent. Vincent nodded robotically, stepping closer to the area where Rufus had been standing, and then gagged.

"Vincent!" Reeve said, jumping to his feet.

_...the clock ticks….louder now…_

Vincent held his throat. He bent down closer to the ground, fearing that he was about to vomit. It wasn't from the smell of the decomposing bodies, but from the _pain_ he felt the minute he stepped closer to the outcrop. He clutched his heart.

"Vincent! What's wrong?" Reeve began to move toward him.

…_Barrier?…the planet..?_

"Stay there!" Vincent yelled back, but his voice had already changed. He was becoming Chaos.

_A barrier was placed here…by the planet… to try and protect him._

His hands began to change next, along with his eyes, which glowed in the darkening sky. "Something is here, Hume. Stay there! It is safe!" Reeve stopped.

_….the clock…it was deafening now…_

Vincent lost control; Chaos took over. He examined the area, and listened.

"Reeve…come here now," Chaos said calmly. Reeve didn't wait for the please, he ran to Chaos' side. "Do you hear that?"

"What?" Reeve questioned. He listened, but heard nothing.

"The ticking? Tseng's screaming."

"Wha-" Reeve began, but then he heard it. A scream. A terrible scream. Male. And a Clock. It _was _Tseng. "Oh God…" Reeve covered his ears.

"It's beginning….they really are after him…" Chaos muttered.

"What do we do? Why is there a clock with his screams?" Reeve cried.

"Tseng must be in the Abyss…"

"And the clock?"

"It's a countdown…."

"What?" He grabbed Chaos' arm, but the Degra took no notice. Chaos was too deep in thought.

"I…I don't know….it wasn't supposed to happen this way…..I…I thought that….No. No. It was supposed to take Cloud…. Why didn't take Cloud?" Chaos roared. Reeve backed away.

_Cloud?_

"This wasn't supposed to happen! _I_ did _everything_ right! Why? Why did this happen?"

_"Too punish you…to punish us…" _echoed a voice. A figureless ghost appeared not too far from them.

"Aros?" Reeve muttered. Chaos growled and whipped around, almost knocking over Reeve in the process.

"Why, Aros?" Chaos yelled.

_"Why not? The very nature of a Shinra is misfortune, you know." _ Aros's disembodied voice echoed. _"There is nothing you can do about it now. Ask her if you still aren't satisfied." _Aros' voice faded, and was gone.

_ …Screams…and the ticking clock…_

Chaos looked around, released one final roar, and calmed.

"He's right, there is nothing I can do…..I have to find her…..it's time for the meeting, I believe…..and keep Shinra safe….we have to keep him safe." Chaos muttered. He began to take flight. "Reeve, get yourself to Valgoré's. And call the others… get them there too…. Except.." Reeve paused, looking at Chaos.

"_Don't tell Cloud…"_

* * *

Here we go! Likes? Loves? Flames? I NEED FEEDBACK!


	13. Chapter Twelve: Tseng

Chapter Twelve

Tseng

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or Square Enix (Though I really wish I did). Also, sorry I fell off the face of the planet! I know it's a small chapter. Updated slightly to make a bit more sense, but really not much added. New content to come soon, hopefully.

* * *

Tseng was sleeping, but no rest came to his broken body. He opened his swollen eyes only to be rewarded with the swirling room around him. He tried to sit up, and then grabbed his side with his right hand; searing pain racked his body. His eye, though still unfocused, looked down at his body. He was wearing a black tattered tank top now. His left arm was broken, shattered and torn beyond recognition; his face was cut and bleeding. He could only move his right arm. His feet, shoeless for how long, he didn't know, were blistered and bleeding. His stomach was bruised, from what he could feel and see in the dim light. He was now wearing black tattered shorts and could see his legs had gashes and scratches all the way up to his thighs. His back was fine, for now, but for how long, he feared he didn't know. He was tired, thirsty, and hungry. His long hair was plastered to his face with sweat; he was getting a fever. A loud ticking was off in the distance. He shivered.

"How am I alive?" he whispered hoarsely.

"It lives!" cackled something beyond his view. "It is still alive! HA! I told you!" Tseng tried to focus in front of him, but he saw nothing.

"You won't find us…stop looking!" ordered a second, more sinister voice. Tseng grabbed his head. The voices seemed to be coming from his own mind. He said nothing in reply.

"Stand up, maggot!" ordered the first voice. It was still laughing. Tseng didn't move. "I SAID STAND!" The voice boomed in his head, sending waves of pain through his body, but he stayed where he was. He had been trained to do so. He gritted his teeth and lay back down. The voice in his head howled with anger.

"STAND, STAND, STAND!" it yelled. Tseng's mouth moved into a faint smile.

"No…" he whispered. Somewhere close, a door creaked open. Boots trampled in. He didn't move.

"One more chance, hume. Stand up." The second voice commanded calmly. Still, he refused to move. Somewhere in his subconscious, he felt that he had done this before. He closed his eye, knowing what was to come.

"Beat him!" cachinnated the first voice. "Beat him, beat him! Make him scream! I love his screaming!" Something grabbed him by the hair. His face was showered in punches moments later. "WHERE IS YOUR MASTER?" it screamed. "WHERE, WHERE, WHERE?" He gagged on his blood, but he neither moved nor spoke. Boots kicked him in his stomach.

"Stop," ordered the second voice after five minutes of the beating, "he will not give in to this today." The beating stopped, but the thing holding him by his hair grabbed his head instead. It pushed him down into the hard ground beneath him, smashing his face into the tile. "We have to remember, he has suffered like this before…" Images of the Remnant attack came flooding back into Tseng's mind. He let out a shudder, but nothing more. "We have to try harder."

"Cut his hair. It is getting in the way," said the second voice. Tseng heard a sword unsheathe; something grabbed a fist full of his long hair, and in a moment, it was gone. He was dropped down onto his face, and the boots stomped off. It was silent for a moment.

Tseng felt the back of his head. His hair had been cut to his scalp, and it was bleeding now. Part of him was scared shitless of the darkness around him, but the other part knew he had to stay positive if he wanted to live.

"Rufus said…" he sputtered to no one, "that I had to get a hair cut eventually. Why not now?" He laughed to himself, but stopped when he heard something breathing next to him. He opened his eyes slowly, expecting a monster. Instead, he saw something that almost made him cry.

_No…not again…_

"_Elena_?"

* * *

Rufus was relaxed, resting his head against a pillow. A Degra, Valgoré, he thought he had said, had pulled him out of his nightmare. He had also, however, force-fed the former President something that might have been soup, a _very_ potent tranquilizer, and proceeded to tell the man that he had been moved from Ms. Lockhart's bar for his _safety_.

Elena sat at the edge of the bed, subconsciously stroking his foot. Rufus had seen her do it to Tseng after a long day of work. He wondered if his presence reminded her of the Turk leader.

_Hardly, _Rufus thought, _the only thing I am to her is the spoiled bastard signing her pay checks. _He closed his eyes, trying to think past the thick fog of sleep caused by the medicine. _And I'm not even that anymore..._

He remembered being at the bar AVALANCHE ran, and he remembered drifting off to sleep. He also remembered someone screaming at him, Reeve was standing in front of him, and then Tseng was….

"Oh Gaia….." Rufus muttered, opening his eyes. He held his head in his hands. Elena looked at him through sleep-deprived eyes.

_Tseng. _

_Where was he?_

"What's wrong, Rufus?" she asked quietly, as though speaking any louder would break him. She got off the bed and came to his side.

"Nothing…I…no, it's nothing," he said, shaking his head. He felt himself slipping behind the icy mask he always used. He looked away from her

_Tseng? Why was he thinking of him?_

"Rufus? Do you feel ill?" Elena moved closer to him, resting her hand on his forehead.

"It's nothing, really…" He waved her off.

_Did he say something that caused Tseng to leave? Was he angry at him?_

"Is it your head? I'll go get some more medici-"

"NO!" He didn't even recognize his voice as he yelled at her. He was suddenly angry, but he couldn't justify where the rage was coming from. His hands shook so bad that he balled them into fists to try and stop them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elena back away. He started a breathing exercise, counting silently in his head. Anything to calm down….anything to calm down…

…_Tseng used to tell me that..._

"Mr. Shinra…" Elena muttered, taking a small step forward. He turned quickly to face her, his blue eyes glazed over.

"Where is he?" he demanded. His words were like venom.

"Wh-who?" Elena stammered. She moved for the door.

_She's hiding something from me._

"Where is _he_? Where is Tseng?" Rufus was standing now, pushing himself forward with shaking legs. He was so focused on Elena that he didn't hear Valgoré appear behind him, placing the blonde into a light, but firm, headlock. He struggled weakly against the demon's grip.

"Nighty-night," Valgoré whispered devilishly into Rufus' ear before jabbing a needle roughly into his neck. Rufus convulsed slightly as the poison mixed with his blood. Valgoré dropped him, and Rufus fell to his knees, gripping his throat. He coughed meagerly, trying to stay conscious. Valgoré kneeled beside him, gently rubbing his back. If he could have thought clearly, Rufus would have noted how quickly the demon moved from hostile to comforting.

"Rest, little one, just rest," the creature instructed.

"No…not yet…I-I need…I need to know…" Rufus struggled to look up at Elena, trying to shove the Degra away from him. She was still standing near the door, but her features, once tense, has relaxed. He reached out feebly to her, but she just shook her head. She moved forward, gaining momentum in the small space before round-kicking her boss right across his face.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Remember

Chapter Thirteen: Remember

A/N: This is a strange chapter...ish. It mostly is just one character reliving a memory while trying to function in real life at the same time. So, on that note,

_Italics is the memory._

None italics is real life.

A/N 2: I don't own Square Enix_. _If I did, then this shit would be cannon and Rufus would be married, have kids, and be a loving father (Cloud would be in a similar situation...I am hopelessly romantic, I know). But since I suck at romance, and since this fic isn't a romance, deal with it! (Or not, you know where the back button is, lol)

As always, reviews are encouraged, but not advised or forced. Love you all for hanging in there with me.

* * *

Shelke stared at the computer monitor, hands clenched into fists. Data cycled down the screen, blurring into useless information. Reeve had asked her to look for anything that could be 'useful' to the current situation. To her, she couldn't figure out was myth or fact. It was too meaningless. She shook her head and looked away, closing her eyes.

"…_Tell me a story…" Shelke asks._

"_Why?" he replies. He is neither annoyed nor intrigued, just calm. _

"…_because I cannot sleep…"she says simply. _

Her eyes shot open. She shook her head harder.

"What was that?" she said to no one. She placed her head in her hands. "A memory?" She looked up to her monitor, stopping the data in mid-flow, trying to rid herself of the memory.

"_Why?" he asks._

"_Why what?" she responds._

"_Why can you not sleep?" His voice is gentle, but sturdy. _

"_I…don't know…"_

"Why am I remembering this?" Shelke said, pushing away from the monitor. She curled up into a ball, closing her eyes to relive the small moment of comfort she had felt once.

_His arms opened up, offering her a hug. She stared blankly at him. _

"_You do remember what a hug is, right Shelke?" he laughed. _

"_I…I do…I just didn't think you…"_

"_Hugged?"_

"_Showed affection to anyone…" He just laughed again, pulling her into a comforting hug. She was surprised he was so warm. She always assumed he was just a cold-blooded killer. _

"_How do you think my brother is still sane?"_

She looked back at the monitor, gasping quietly. Somehow, she had managed to stop the data flow on an image. An image of the man from the memory she was reliving. She reached out tentatively to touch the screen, almost as though she couldn't believe the picture was there.

"_Would you like me to tell you a story still?" he asked as she curled up into his arms. He was just like a big brother…if she hadn't known what he was trained to do. _

"_Yes please," she said. _

"_Okay then. What should I tell you?"_

"_One of your favorite ones…" She was shocked that she would ever think about asking __**him**__ of all people to tell her a bed time story. She was more surprised he said yes._

"_My favorite one?" he said, looking down at her. She nodded again. He smiled simply, pulling her away from him so she sat cross-legged on his lap. He kept his hands gently on her shoulders, supporting her so she wouldn't fall. His furrowed his brow suddenly, as though deep in thought._

"_Is something wrong?" she asked, worried. This was the first time she'd ever seen emotion out of him. She didn't want it to end quite yet. _

"_Do you believe in Degra?"_

The picture was the only one that Reeve and the others in AVALANCHE and the WRO could find of him. It was a screen capture of the mass video sent out by the Tsviets as a scare tactic. She hated this picture. She knew he had been kind once, even if it was all an act.

"Weiss…"

"_Weiss…? She asked tentatively. _

"_Do you, Shelke?" Weiss the Immaculate asked her. His gaze was stern and frightening. _

"_I…I don't even know what that is…" she said truthfully. His gaze softened. _

"_The Degra are guardians, Shelke. Remember that," he said, "they are the protectors of this planet, and because of this, they cannot die." Weiss looked down at her again. "The Degra are supposed to protect…" He shook his head. "Never mind. Enough of that. You asked for a story, not information. More importantly, my favorite story." He looked away from her, gazing up at the support beams above them. _

"_I know just the one."_

Shelke drew away from the screen, shocked.

"He knew all along… Weiss knew all along…"

"_There is this child, Shelke. Well, I guess now he wouldn't be a child anymore. I'm not sure on his age, but I guess that's not important. He is younger than me, though, I know that," Weiss said, looking at the beams. He turned his gaze back to her. "But this child, Shelke, he is a special child. His mother and father were strong rulers, and they were kind and intelligent. They created a strong nation, ruled by the mother and father. The child began to learn from his parents. He became strong and kind. He learned to be a leader and a warrior. A great man, he was."_

"_So the boy is a prince?" she asked, part of her immaturity and youth showing. Part of her got excited; __**Weiss**__ was telling __**her**__ a fairytale! _

"_Yes…well…he used to be…" He said solemnly. _

"_Used to be?" _

"_The child was kidnapped at a young age, his mother and father killed." Weiss said._

"_Why? Who would ever think about doing that to a….child…." Shelke began, but then realized how the story related to all of the Tsviets. _

"_Because Hume are cruel, Hume are stupid," Weiss said, indifferently. _

"_Hume?"_

"_Humans….us…" he said, pointing at himself. _

"_So the prince wasn't human?" _

"_He was…partially human. He was a special breed of human. We call them Angels." _

"_He was an angel? Is that why he was kidnapped?"_

"_Yes, it was. Because he was an angel, he was seen as different. His mother and father were stronger than the average human, and had abilities that we could only dream of. Because of this power, the mother and father could control the nation peacefully. The humans who kidnapped the child and killed his family wanted to use the child as a way to control these strange powers and the nation that the child's parents had created. The child was taken and they began to torture the child to try and use him."_

"_Did it work? Were they able to control him?" Shelke leaned forward; she wanted to know more. This was no longer was a fairytale, it was a nightmare._

"_For a while, yes. The child was too young when he was taken for him to know the world was any different. He was never told of the power he possessed. However, he began to grow used to the beatings, the starvation, the torture. The pain slowly turned to rage, and one day, the child finally changed."_

"_He changed?"_

"_He finally realized his power. He transformed into his angelic form. He began to fight back. The humans didn't know what to do, so they tried to kill him."_

"_Did they?"_

"_No. No, they didn't. However, they wounded him severely. His memory was erased of the incident. Again, without the knowledge of his power, the humans were able to control him. The humans began to torture the child more, trying to beat and scare him into submission. They became more violent, trying to alter the child into the perfect puppet. In a way, they succeeded. The child became cold, heartless even. He became indifferent to the other humans around him, even the ones he care for. Soon, he began to laugh at the pain he felt. He no longer was able to feel fear. The humans didn't know it, but they had actually made the child stronger, instead of their original goal of weakening him into submission. He began to plan, initiating acts of revenge on the people who hurt him. Then, one day, he vanished."_

"_Vanished?"_

"_He escaped his captors. Somehow, he got away. They say a Degra helped him escape, but I don't know. He is said to still be missing now." Weiss said. He chuckled slightly when he noticed how close Shelke was to him. Sometime during his narrative, Shelke had moved from the edge of his lap to clutching his chest. He patted her head. "Good story?"_

"_It wasn't real?" she questioned._

"_I didn't say that," he replied. _

"_Have you ever seen the prince?"_

"_No, no I haven't."_

"_Wait! What if you are the prince and you're not telling me because you don't want anyone to know?" she said, pointing her finger at Weiss. He laughed yet again._

"_I couldn't be the prince. He was an only child. I have a younger brother." _

"_You're just saying that as a cover up! Plus, he doesn't even look like you! Nero is the Degra that helped you escape!"_

"_Ha, if that were true, why would I hide in this gods forsaken place?" He wrapped his arms around her, picking her up gently. "No more, time for you to sleep." She yawned in response, stretching and cuddling up against him like a sister to her older brother. She felt herself begin to drift off to sleep. Weiss muttered something into her ear, and she fell into the only good sleep she ever had in Deep Ground._

"Maybe that's why I never noticed….I always thought the story was about him…or Nero, or one of the others," she said simply. Again, she placed her head in her hands.

"I should have known…I… I'm so sorry."

* * *

A/N 3: I haven't really done a _lot _ of research on Weiss, but I;ve done enough and found that not many people know anything about what he was like _before _Hojo decided to play puppet master with his head, so I decided to make him a loving, over protective, older brother like character. I mean, with a little brother like Nero, I'd probably be over protective too...

Any info on what he was supposed to be in cannon would be great.


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